as in dependence
a physiological need for certain drugs
an addiction to heroin
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of addiction
Even the addiction hotline 1-800-GAMBLER suddenly sounds like the number you’d dial to start gambling.
—
Dan Piepenbring, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
Being Charlie starred Nick Robinson as title character Charlie, a young man who struggles with drug addiction and his relationship with his parents as his father David (Cary Elwes) campaigns for political office.
—Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
Rishi, once a celebrated piano prodigy, has just been kicked out of rehab and is grappling with addiction, shame and the weight of unrealized potential, while Zara, an aspiring YA author, has turned to influencer culture.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2026
During his remarks, the health secretary stressed his belief that America’s addiction response has been ineffective because incentives remain misaligned with public health.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for addiction
Dan Piepenbring, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
Being Charlie starred Nick Robinson as title character Charlie, a young man who struggles with drug addiction and his relationship with his parents as his father David (Cary Elwes) campaigns for political office.
—Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
Rishi, once a celebrated piano prodigy, has just been kicked out of rehab and is grappling with addiction, shame and the weight of unrealized potential, while Zara, an aspiring YA author, has turned to influencer culture.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2026
During his remarks, the health secretary stressed his belief that America’s addiction response has been ineffective because incentives remain misaligned with public health.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for addiction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for addiction
dependence
Noun
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India does have plans to reduce its dependence.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Instead of running everything through massive centralized models, enterprises are distributing intelligence by blending foundational models with small language models, reducing hyperscaler dependence and optimizing performance for specific, local environments.—
Abhas Ricky,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Addiction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/addiction. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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