noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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General-American:/ˈælkə(ˌ)hɔˌlɪzəm/
UK:/ˈælkəhɒˌlɪzəm/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:AE1 L K AH0 HH AO2 L IH2 Z AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A chronic disease caused by compulsive and uncontrollable consumption of alcoholic beverages, leading to addiction and deterioration in health and social functioning.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
chronic alcoholism
struggle with alcoholism
effects of alcoholism
He sought treatment for alcoholism at a rehabilitation clinic.
Alcoholism can lead to serious health problems.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: dipsomania
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Acute alcohol poisoning.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
an intense persistent desire to drink alcoholic beverages to excess
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: dipsomania, potomania
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: mania, passion, cacoethes
4
noun
Meaning 4
habitual intoxication; prolonged and excessive intake of alcoholic drinks leading to a breakdown in health and an addiction to alcohol such that abrupt deprivation leads to severe withdrawal symptoms
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Etymology tree Akkadian 𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)bor. Aramaic כוחלא (kuḥlā)bor. Arabic كُحْل (kuḥl) Andalusian Arabic اَلْكُحُول (al-kuḥūl)bor. Medieval Latin alcoholder. Middle English alcofol English alcohol Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English alcoholism From alcohol + -ism. Derived from New Latin alcoholismus chronicus, coined by the Swedish professor of medicine Magnus Huss in 1849.
Across languages
Translations
83 source translations are retained for this English entry.
