What does addiction mean?

Definitions for addiction
əˈdɪk ʃənad·dic·tion

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word addiction.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. addiction, dependence, dependance, dependency, habituationnoun

    being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming (especially alcohol or narcotic drugs)

  2. addictionnoun

    an abnormally strong craving

  3. addictionnoun

    (Roman law) a formal award by a magistrate of a thing or person to another person (as the award of a debtor to his creditor); a surrender to a master

    "under Roman law addiction was the justification for slavery"

Wiktionary

  1. addictionnoun

    The state of being addicted; devotion; inclination.

  2. addictionnoun

    A habit or practice that damages, jeopardizes or shortens one's life but when ceased causes trauma.

  3. addictionnoun

    A pathological relationship to mood altering experience that has life damaging consequences.

    His addiction was to courses vain. Shakespeare.

  4. Etymology: From ; compare addictio

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Addictionnoun

    Etymology: addictio, Lat.

    It is a wonder how his grace should g’ean it,
    Since his addiction was to courses vain;
    His companies unletter’d, rude and shallow;
    His hours fill’d up with riots, banquets, sports. William Shakespeare, Hen. V.

Wikipedia

  1. Addiction

    Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use often alters brain function in ways that perpetuate craving, and weakens (but does not completely negate) self-control. This phenomenon – drugs reshaping brain function – has led to an understanding of addiction as a brain disorder with a complex variety of psychosocial as well as neurobiological (and thus involuntary) factors that are implicated in addiction's development. Classic signs of addiction include compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, preoccupation with substances or behavior, and continued use despite negative consequences. Habits and patterns associated with addiction are typically characterized by immediate gratification (short-term reward), coupled with delayed deleterious effects (long-term costs).Examples of drug (or more generally, substance) addictions include alcoholism, marijuana addiction, amphetamine addiction, cocaine addiction, nicotine addiction, opioid addiction, and eating or food addiction. Alternatively, behavioral addictions may include gambling addiction, internet addiction, video game addiction, pornography addiction and sexual addiction. The only behavioral addiction recognized by the DSM-5 and the ICD-10 is gambling addiction. With the introduction of the ICD-11 gaming addiction was appended.The term "addiction" is frequently misused when referring to other compulsive behaviors or disorders, particularly dependence, in news media. An important distinction between drug addiction and dependence is that drug dependence is a disorder in which cessation of drug use results in an unpleasant state of withdrawal, which can lead to further drug use. Addiction is the compulsive use of a substance or performance of a behavior that is independent of withdrawal. Addiction can occur in the absence of dependence, and dependence can occur in the absence of addiction, although the two often occur together.

ChatGPT

  1. addiction

    Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease characterized by a compulsive desire to use a substance or engage in a particular behavior despite knowing its harmful consequences. It involves physical or psychological dependency, where the individual has little to no control over their engagement in the activity or substance, leading to harmful effects on their health, relationships, and overall life.

  2. addiction

    Addiction is a complex psychological and physical dependence on a substance, activity, or behavior, characterized by compulsive engagement despite harmful consequences. This dependence consists of craving, loss of control over use, continued involvement despite negative effects, and an increased tolerance that often leads to withdrawal symptoms when discontinued.

  3. addiction

    Addiction is a complex psychological or biological disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to continually engage in specific behaviors or use certain substances, despite being aware of its negative effects or consequences on an individual's health, relationships, or social life. This compulsive behavior involves a dependency where discontinuance often results in severe physical or mental effects, also known as withdrawal symptoms. The dependence can be on harmful substances such as drugs and alcohol, or behaviors such as gambling, eating, or even using the internet.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Addictionnoun

    the state of being addicted; devotion; inclination

  2. Etymology: [Cf. L. addictio an adjudging.]

Wikidata

  1. Addiction

    Addiction is the continued use of a mood altering substance or behavior despite adverse consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviors. Addictions can include, but are not limited to, drug abuse, exercise addiction, food addiction, sexual addiction, computer addiction, and gambling. Classic hallmarks of addiction include impaired control over substances or behavior, preoccupation with substance or behavior, continued use despite consequences, and denial. Habits and patterns associated with addiction are typically characterized by immediate gratification, coupled with delayed deleterious effects. Physiological dependence occurs when the body has to adjust to the substance by incorporating the substance into its 'normal' functioning. This state creates the conditions of tolerance and withdrawal. Tolerance is the process by which the body continually adapts to the substance and requires increasingly larger amounts to achieve the original effects. Withdrawal refers to physical and psychological symptoms experienced when reducing or discontinuing a substance that the body has become dependent on. Symptoms of withdrawal generally include but are not limited to anxiety, irritability, intense cravings for the substance, nausea, hallucinations, headaches, cold sweats, and tremors.

Matched Categories

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce addiction?

How to say addiction in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of addiction in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of addiction in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of addiction in a Sentence

  1. Andrew Cuomo:

    The goal of this law is simple : to prevent cigarettes and vaping products from getting into the hands of our youth, creating an addiction to a deadly habit, we are taking aggressive action to make sure the decades of progress we've made to combat tobacco addiction is not undone by a sharp rise in e-cigarette use among younger New Yorkers.

  2. Mary Sylla:

    The position of the National Harm Reduction Coalition is that criminalization of drugs has never worked to reduce drug use or addiction. It’s the opposite. Criminalization is the opposite of harm reduction.

  3. Farshad Ahadian:

    Most providers probably feel that it's better for physicians to self-regulate rather than practice medicine from the seat of the legislature, the truth is there's been a lot of harm from opioids, a lot of addiction. It's undeniable that we have to yield to that and to recognize that public safety is critical.

  4. Lakeisha Holloway:

    Boy, have I come a long ways, i was a scared little girl who knew that there was more to life outside of crime, drug addiction, lower income, alcoholism, being under educated -- all of which I grew up being familiar with.

  5. Gregory Connolly:

    What they're going to have is a mega database of how Americans smoke, then they'll be able to reprogram the current puffing delivery pattern of the iQOS to one that may be more reinforcing and with a higher addiction potential.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

addiction#1#6511#10000

Translations for addiction

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for addiction »

Translation

Find a translation for the addiction definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"addiction." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Oct. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/addiction>.

Discuss these addiction definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for addiction? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    addiction

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    diverge from the expected
    A aberrate
    B flub
    C monish
    D excogitate

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for addiction: