addicting

English

Etymology

From addict +‎ -ing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈdɪktɪŋ/

Adjective

addicting (comparative more addicting, superlative most addicting)

1. (US) Causing addiction.
   • 1936 June 1, Nathan Browne Eddy, quotee, “Morphine Substitutes”, in Time‎, archived from the original on 21 November 2010:

     whether any of the substances possess addicting properties is very difficult to determine on animals, although efforts are being made to study this aspect of the problem on dogs and monkeys.

   • 1950, Council on Drugs (American Medical Association) with Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry (American Medical Association), New and Nonofficial Drugs, page 42:

     similar in action to codeine salts but when compared with codeine on the basis of weight is more active, and more addicting.

   • 1957, United States Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary, Juvenile Delinquency (Treatment and Rehabilitation of Juvenile Drug Addicts), page 182:

     When we didn't have narcotics laws, when we could go and buy this stuff like you could candy and potatoes, laudanum was a very addicting drug

   • 1992, Barbara C. Wallace, The Chemically Dependent: Phases of Treatment and Recovery, page 22:

     Cocaine has been reconceptualized as our most addicting drug and crack is viewed as the most addicting form of cocaine

   • 2000, Robert L. DuPont with Betty Ford, The Selfish Brain: Learning from Addiction, page 101:

     That is why smoking and intravenous injection are the routes of administration chosen by addicted people and why these routes of administration are so much more addicting than is oral use of the same drug.

Usage notes

• Considered non-standard outside of the United States.
• Addictive also has the meaning "characterised by addiction", as in "an addictive personality", which addicting does not.

Synonyms

• addictive
• moreish

Derived terms

• addictingly
• nonaddicting
• non-addicting
• readdicting

 

Verb

addicting

1. present participle and gerund of addict
   • 1686, John Scott, The Christian Life: From Its Beginning to Its Consummation in Glory, page 60:

     For though in his Nature there is a Tendency to Rational Pleasures, yet this he may, and very frequently does, stifle and extinguish by addicting himself wholly to the Delights and Gratifications of his Sense

   • 1898, New York (State). Dept. of Health, Annual Report, page 371:

     Mr. Johnson's communication states that the preparation "has a large sale, and is addicting the public to its use"

References

• Dictionaries without an entry for this adjective include: Larousse Gran Diccionario Inglés-Español/Spanish-English, MSN Encarta Dictionary, Webster’s Third New World International Dictionary, American Heritage Dictionary (online), Random House Dictionary (online).
• However, it is in the Oxford English Dictionary where it is listed as informal, with citations going back to 1939.
• “addicting”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.