dipsomaniac

[ dip-suh-mey-nee-ak, -soh- ]

noun

1. (no longer in technical use) a person with alcoholism or alcohol use disorder, especially characterized by an irresistible, typically periodic craving for alcoholic drinks.

Other Words From

• dip·so·ma·ni·a·cal [dip-s, uh, -m, uh, -, nahy, -, uh, -k, uh, l, -soh-], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dipsomaniac¹

First recorded in 1855–60; dipsomani(a) + -ac

Synonym Study

See inebriate.

Example Sentences

“I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that you had penned this entire story locked up at the club, ink in one hand, brandy in the other. Your bombastic, dipsomaniac, where-to-now characters had me reaching for my own glass of brandy.”

From Washington Times

I knew that a dipsomaniac was someone with an insatiable thirst, but to hear Dorothy use the verb διψάω in the second-person singular present tense and match it with my parched throat felt like a revelation.

From The New Yorker

I knew that a dipsomaniac was someone with an insatiable thirst, but to hear Dorothy use the verb διψάω in the second-person singular present tense and match it with my parched throat felt like a revelation.

From The New Yorker

Spelling champ takes home prize for the third year Dipsomaniac was the winning word for a 12-year-old girl from Central California who won the State Spelling Bee for the third year in a row.

From Washington Post

When gazing directly into the abyss, there’s no better pick-me-up for a maudlin, middle-aged dipsomaniac than a tag-team pair of star-struck female admirers.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• drunk
• substance abuser