variants
or less commonly junky
plural junkies
1
a
disparaging + offensive
: a person who is addicted to narcotics and especially to heroin
b
: a person who gets an unusual amount of pleasure from or has an unusual amount of interest in something
a television news junkie
Adrenaline junkies weren't the only ones who marveled as Austrian daredevil Baumgartner broke the world record for the highest and fastest skydive …—
Maura Judkis
Maura Judkis2
: a junk dealer
Examples of junkie in a Sentence
heroin junkies wasting their lives
Recent Examples on the Web
Scheiber’s main interest is the development of a radical political consciousness in a generation of phone addicts and Netflix junkies.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
All the junkies could appear perfectly happy with no symptoms and be HIV+.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
The 31-0 RedHawks did so with a 110-108 overtime win over in-state rival Ohio on Friday — the type of win that put even basketball junkies on the edge of their seats.
—Zach Powell, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Of course, as political junkies in Illinois recall, Pritzker and Kelly have been at odds for years; the governor was instrumental four years ago in pressuring Kelly out as head of Illinois’ Democratic Party.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for junkie
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George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
All the junkies could appear perfectly happy with no symptoms and be HIV+.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
The 31-0 RedHawks did so with a 110-108 overtime win over in-state rival Ohio on Friday — the type of win that put even basketball junkies on the edge of their seats.
—Zach Powell, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Of course, as political junkies in Illinois recall, Pritzker and Kelly have been at odds for years; the governor was instrumental four years ago in pressuring Kelly out as head of Illinois’ Democratic Party.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for junkie
Cite this Entry
“Junkie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/junkie. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
junkie
noun
junk·ie
variants
also junky
plural junkies
1
: a person who sells or is addicted to narcotics
2
: a person who gets an unusual amount of pleasure from or is dependent on something
a sugar junkie
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