addictive

adjective

ad·​dic·​tive ə-ˈdik-tiv 

a-

: causing or characterized by addiction

an addictive drug

an addictive personality

Synonyms of addictive

• addicting

Examples of addictive in a Sentence

highly addictive drugs like crack and heroin

the addictive thrill of surfing

Recent Examples on the Web

Chef and owner Gordy Moufarrej emigrated from Lebanon to Montreal as a boy and uses his mother’s homemade za’atar in these addictive flatbreads. — Luke Pyenson, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2026

The new law would restrict the offering of addictive features, regardless of whether parental consent is obtained, TikTok’s legal team noted. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2026

In September, TikTok settled with Alabama over addictive features. — ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

And these things are surprisingly addictive – and like LLMs and other AI, keeping you engaged is critical. — New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

addict entry 2 + -ive

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for addictive

• constrictive
• predictive
• restrictive
• vindictive
• magnetostrictive

Kids Definition

addictive

adjective

ad·​dic·​tive ə-ˈdik-tiv 

a-

: causing or characterized by addiction

an addictive drug

an addictive game

Medical Definition

addictive

adjective

ad·​dic·​tive ə-ˈdik-tiv 

: causing or characterized by addiction

addictive drugs

Legal Definition

addictive

adjective

ad·​dic·​tive ə-ˈdik-tiv 

: causing or characterized by addiction

addictive drugs