addict

The word “addict” means a person who is dependent on a harmful substance and cannot easily stop using it. In plain terms, someone who is dependent on a substance, or, loosely, someone with an intense enthusiasm for something.

“Addict” is pronounced AD-ihkt (/ˈæd.ɪkt/ in IPA).

Here is “addict” used in a sentence: “The clinic offers support for recovering addicts.”

Words with a similar meaning to “addict” include abuser, fiend, wastoid, consecrate, dedicate and devote.

The opposite of “addict” — its antonyms — are abstainer, mainstreamer and nonaddict.

Depending on how it is used, “addict” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “addict” comes from Latin. From Latin addictus, past participle of addicere, "to award or bind someone to something" — originally a legal term for a court assigning a person to another's service.

“Addict” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

Addict is a noun referring to a person dependent on a harmful substance or, informally, someone with a strong enthusiasm for something, such as a "chocolate addict." Addicted is the adjective describing the state of being dependent, as in "he is addicted to the substance."

When addict refers to substance dependence it can sound blunt or informal, and many clinical and public health contexts now prefer phrases like "person with an addiction." The informal sense, describing strong enthusiasm for a hobby or activity, is casual and non-clinical.

Yes, addict can function as a verb meaning to cause someone to become dependent on something, or to become dependent oneself, though the noun form is far more common in everyday use. The verb form appears mainly in more formal or explanatory writing.