addictive

A1D2D2I1C3T1I1V4E1
/əˈdɪktɪv/

adjective

Causing or tending to cause addiction; habit-forming.

“These are addictive drugs.”

Similar
habit-formingmoreish
Opposite
nonaddictive
Less commonScrabble 16
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Meanings

adjectiveaddictive (comparative more addictive, superlative most addictive)

comparative more addictive · superlative most addictive

  1. Causing or tending to cause addiction; habit-forming.

    These are addictive drugs.

  2. Enjoyable, so that one comes back for more.

    There are loads of mazes, it's all really good fun and utterly addictive […]

    1991, Rich Pelley, "Tilt" (video game review) in Your Sinclair (issue 62, page 52)
  3. Characterized by or susceptible to addiction.

    He has an addictive personality.

nounaddictive (plural addictives)

plural addictives

  1. A drug that causes an addiction.
  2. Anything that is very habit-forming.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
habit-formingmoreish
Opposite
nonaddictive

adjectivecausing or characterized by addiction

Similar
habit-forming
Opposite
nonaddictive
Also see
addictinghabit-forming

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

First attested 1914. Addiction in modern sense is first attested 1906, in reference to opium. There is an isolated instance from 1779, with reference to tobacco.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic إِدْمَانِيّ
  • إِدْمَانِيّ (ʔidmāniyy)tending to cause addiction
Catalan addictiu
  • addictiutending to cause addiction
Chinese Mandarin 使人成癮的 /使人成瘾的, 使人著迷的
  • 使人成癮的 /使人成瘾的 (shǐrén chéngyǐn de)tending to cause addiction
  • 使人著迷的enjoyable
  • 使人着迷的 (shǐrén zháomí de)enjoyable
  • 容易著迷的susceptible to addiction
  • 容易着迷的 (róngyì zháomí de)susceptible to addiction
  • 容易上癮的 /容易上瘾的 (róngyì shàngyǐn de)susceptible to addiction
Czech návykový
  • návykovýtending to cause addiction
Dutch verslavend
  • verslavendtending to cause addiction
Esperanto dependiga
  • dependigatending to cause addiction
Finnish riippuvuutta aiheuttava, addiktiivinen
  • riippuvuutta aiheuttavatending to cause addiction
  • addiktiivinentending to cause addiction
  • addiktoivatending to cause addiction
  • koukuttavaenjoyable
  • riippuvuuteen taipuvainensusceptible to addiction
  • addiktoituvasusceptible to addiction
French addictif, qui rend accro
  • addictiftending to cause addiction
  • qui rend accrotending to cause addiction
  • qui crée une dépendancetending to cause addiction
  • qui entraîne une dépendancetending to cause addiction
German süchtig machend, verführerisch
  • süchtig machendtending to cause addiction
  • verführerischtending to cause addiction
Hebrew ממכר
  • ממכר (m'makér)tending to cause addiction
Italian che causa dipendenza, che dà dipendenza
  • che causa dipendenzatending to cause addiction
  • che dà dipendenzatending to cause addiction
Japanese 中毒性の, 常習的な
  • 中毒性の (chūdokusei no)tending to cause addiction
  • 常習的な (jōshūteki na)tending to cause addiction
Māori whakawara
  • whakawaratending to cause addiction
Polish uzależniający, powodujący uzależnienie
  • uzależniającytending to cause addiction
  • powodujący uzależnienietending to cause addiction
Portuguese viciante, viciador
  • viciantetending to cause addiction
  • viciadortending to cause addiction
  • que causa dependênciatending to cause addiction
Romanian dependent, adictiv
  • dependenttending to cause addiction
  • adictivtending to cause addiction
Russian затя́гивающий, аддикти́вный
  • затя́гивающий (zatjágivajuščij)tending to cause addiction
  • аддикти́вный (addiktívnyj)tending to cause addiction
  • затя́гивающий (zatjágivajuščij)enjoyable
  • захва́тывающий (zaxvátyvajuščij)enjoyable
  • скло́нный к привыка́нию (sklónnyj k privykániju)susceptible to addiction
Spanish adictivo, que crea dependencia
  • adictivotending to cause addiction
  • que crea dependenciatending to cause addiction
  • que produce dependenciatending to cause addiction
  • que crea adiccióntending to cause addiction
  • enviciadortending to cause addiction
Swedish beroendeframkallande, vanebildande
  • beroendeframkallandetending to cause addiction
  • vanebildandetending to cause addiction
Tagalog nakaaadik, nakaaadik
  • nakaaadiktending to cause addiction
  • nakaaadikenjoyable
Thai เสพติด
  • เสพติด (sèp dtìt)tending to cause addiction
Turkish alışkanlık yapan
  • alışkanlık yapantending to cause addiction

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with addictive

restrictivepredictivevindictivefictiveconstrictivemagnetostrictiveconflictiveafflictiveinflictiveinterdictiveretrodictive
All rhymes →

Anagrams

didactive
Cite this entry
APA

addictive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/addictive

MLA

“addictive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/addictive. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “addictive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/addictive.

Source: addictive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.