junkie

noun

junk·​ie ˈjəŋ-kē 

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

2

: a junk dealer

Synonyms of junkie

• addict
• user

Examples of junkie in a Sentence

heroin junkies wasting their lives

Recent Examples on the Web

The company’s goal is to appeal to history buffs and live music junkies alike. — Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026

Chloe Webb’s performance as Nancy Spungen, the junkie girlfriend who Sid probably murdered (the role of Nancy was originally supposed to go to Courtney Love), is breathtaking in the nakedness of its emotion. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026

From a shark attack and skydiving accident to a near plane crash, the adrenaline junkie shared his tales of his extreme adventuring with the outlet. — Diana Pearl, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026

And then the memories came flooding back for both of us — me, a college football junkie, and him, having lived a pretty infamous couple hours. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for junkie

• chunky
• funky
• hunky
• monkey
• spunky

Kids Definition

junkie

noun

junk·​ie

variants also junky

ˈjəŋ-kē 

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