as in addicting
causing or relating to a physiological need for certain drugs
an addictive painkiller
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Recent Examples of addictive
In this federal case, the social media firms will argue against allegations that the design of the apps led to unhealthy and addictive behaviors in teens and children.
—
Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Emerging research suggests that the spread of sports gambling portends a huge increase in gambling addiction, which has the highest rate of suicide of any addictive behavior.
—Jasper Craven, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Importantly, the lawsuit claims that this was done through deliberate design choices made by companies that sought to make their platforms more addictive to children to boost profits.
—Barbara Ortutay, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
TikTok has reached a confidential settlement to exit a landmark trial in Los Angeles billed as the first of thousands of similar cases brought by plaintiffs alleging social media platforms knowingly engineered their products to be addictive to young users.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for addictive
Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Emerging research suggests that the spread of sports gambling portends a huge increase in gambling addiction, which has the highest rate of suicide of any addictive behavior.
—Jasper Craven, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Importantly, the lawsuit claims that this was done through deliberate design choices made by companies that sought to make their platforms more addictive to children to boost profits.
—Barbara Ortutay, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
TikTok has reached a confidential settlement to exit a landmark trial in Los Angeles billed as the first of thousands of similar cases brought by plaintiffs alleging social media platforms knowingly engineered their products to be addictive to young users.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for addictive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for addictive
addicting
Adjective
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Trader Joe's Maple Pancake Flavored Puffs are crunchy, poppable, and addicting, as many fans online agree.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
17 Nov. 2025
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Don't be fooled by the charming pixel art style and adorably small-scale battlefields; this is one of the deepest and most addicting strategy games of the last decade.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Addictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/addictive. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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