addictive

adjective

ad·​dic·​tive ə-ˈdik-tiv How to pronounce addictive (audio)
a-
: causing or characterized by addiction
an addictive drug
an addictive personality

Examples of addictive in a Sentence

highly addictive drugs like crack and heroin the addictive thrill of surfing
Recent Examples on the Web On October 8, attorneys general from 13 states and the District of Columbia filed suit against TikTok, claiming that the social media platform has intentionally been designed to be addictive for children and teens. Sarah Garone, Health, 22 Oct. 2024 Though the drug isn’t as addictive as fentanyl, people are still in risk of addiction to the drug. Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 22 Oct. 2024 The apps are meant to be addictive, Greenfield said. Kali Hays, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2024 Bytedance has faced a barrage of lawsuits and investigations from regulators around the world over TikTok’s addictive design, handling of user data and lack of safeguards for teenage users. Iain Martin, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for addictive 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'addictive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

addict entry 2 + -ive

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of addictive was in 1891

Dictionary Entries Near addictive

Cite this Entry

“Addictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/addictive. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

addictive

adjective
ad·​dic·​tive ə-ˈdik-tiv How to pronounce addictive (audio)
a-
: causing or characterized by addiction
an addictive drug
an addictive game

Medical Definition

addictive

adjective
ad·​dic·​tive ə-ˈdik-tiv How to pronounce addictive (audio)
: causing or characterized by addiction
addictive drugs

Legal Definition

addictive

adjective
ad·​dic·​tive ə-ˈdik-tiv How to pronounce addictive (audio)
: causing or characterized by addiction
addictive drugs

More from Merriam-Webster on addictive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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