Meaning & use
alcoholic
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablemedical
A person who has an illness in which they cannot stop drinking alcohol even though it harms their health and life.
Grammar: Countable noun: an alcoholic, two alcoholics. Many people now prefer 'a person with alcohol use disorder'.
Patterns
- a recovering alcoholic
- an alcoholic who ...
He is a recovering alcoholic who has not had a drink in six years.
The support group helps alcoholics and their families rebuild their lives.
She grew up with a father who was an alcoholic.
adjectivecomparable
Containing alcohol, or connected with drinks that contain alcohol.
Grammar: Usually placed before a noun: an alcoholic drink; it can also follow a verb: the punch is alcoholic.
Patterns
- alcoholic drink
- alcoholic content
The store does not sell alcoholic drinks to anyone under twenty-one.
This cider is only slightly alcoholic, so it tastes almost like juice.
The cake was soaked in an alcoholic syrup.
adjectivebefore a nounmedical
Suffering from or caused by a dependence on alcohol.
Grammar: Before a noun: an alcoholic parent; it describes someone who is addicted.
Patterns
- an alcoholic parent
The novel follows an alcoholic detective trying to stay sober.
Doctors recognized the alcoholic liver damage straight away.
Growing up with an alcoholic mother shaped her view of family.
Word forms
| plural | alcoholics |
|---|
Common combinations
- recovering alcoholic
- As a recovering alcoholic, he avoids parties where there is a lot of drinking.
- alcoholic drink
- Guests were offered a choice of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
- alcoholic beverage
- Alcoholic beverages are not allowed on the train.
- non-alcoholic
- I will have a non-alcoholic beer because I am driving.
- alcoholic content
- The label shows the alcoholic content as five percent.
- alcoholic parent
- Children of an alcoholic parent may need extra support.
Synonyms and how they differ
- boozy
- Boozy is informal and describes drinks, events or people linked to heavy drinking, while alcoholic is neutral and fits any context.
- intoxicating
- Intoxicating describes something that can make you drunk, and it often appears in laws, whereas alcoholic is the everyday word for drinks.
- addict
- Addict is a broader noun for dependence on any substance, while alcoholic names dependence on drink specifically.
Opposites
Word family
- alcohol noun
- the drug in beer, wine and spirits that causes drunkenness
- alcoholism noun
- the illness of being unable to control drinking
- non-alcoholic adjective
- containing no alcohol
Commonly confused: alcoholic or alcoholism? alcoholic or teetotaler?
alcoholic vs alcoholism
Alcoholism is the condition itself, while an alcoholic is the person who has it.
alcoholic vs teetotaler
A teetotaler never drinks alcohol by choice, which is different from a recovering alcoholic who stopped because of dependence.
Practice
The waiter asked whether we wanted anything _____ with our meal, or just water.
Choose one answer.
The adjective 'alcoholic' fits before the implied noun (anything alcoholic). 'Alcoholism' is the illness and 'alcoholics' are people, so neither describes a drink.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “alcoholic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.