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

This year, Newsom signed more than 10 bills aimed at keeping young people safe from the potential harms of social media sites, artificial intelligence, addictive autoplay and more. — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

The characters discuss the addictive nature of dark magic multiple times. — Selome Hailu, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026

Rodriguez attributes her child’s death to the addictive nature of social media and the harms her daughter confronted on those platforms. — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026

On the other hand, screen-free meal times help reinforce parent-child bonds and have been shown to protect teens from addictive use of social media. — Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 28 Sep. 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