ALCOHOLISM

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does alcoholism mean? 

• ALCOHOLISM (noun)
  The noun ALCOHOLISM has 2 senses:

1. 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
2. an intense persistent desire to drink alcoholic beverages to excess

  Familiarity information: ALCOHOLISM used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ALCOHOLISM (noun)

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

alcohol addiction; alcoholism; inebriation; drunkenness

Hypernyms ("alcoholism" is a kind of...):

drug addiction; white plague (an addiction to a drug (especially a narcotic drug))

Meaning:

An intense persistent desire to drink alcoholic beverages to excess

Classified under:

Nouns denoting goals

Synonyms:

dipsomania; potomania; alcoholism

Hypernyms ("alcoholism" is a kind of...):

cacoethes; mania; passion (an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action)