chain-smoker

/'tʃein,smoukə/

Thân thiện

A chain-smoker sits at a cafe table with several cigarette butts in the ashtray.

Definition

Noun: A person who smokes cigarettes (or other tobacco products) continuously, typically lighting the next cigarette from the end of the previous one, with little or no break in between.

Usage

The term describes a habitual and intensive pattern of smoking. It emphasizes the continuous, chain-like nature of the activity rather than just the quantity. It is often used in contexts discussing health, addiction, or personal habits.

Examples

• He was a notorious chain-smoker, rarely seen without a cigarette in his hand.
• The doctor warned the chain-smoker about the severe risks to his lungs.
• She tried to quit many times, but the habits of a lifelong chain-smoker were hard to break.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used metaphorically to describe someone who does something in rapid, uninterrupted succession, though this is less common.
  • He was a chain-smoker of mystery novels, finishing one and immediately starting the next.

Variants and Related Words

• Chain-smoke (verb): To smoke cigarettes in a continuous chain.
  • During stressful times, he would chain-smoke for hours.
• Heavy smoker (noun phrase): A person who smokes a large number of cigarettes daily. (A chain-smoker is a specific type of heavy smoker.)

Synonyms

• Heavy smoker
• Nicotine addict (focuses on the dependency aspect)

Antonyms

• Non-smoker
• Occasional smoker
• Social smoker

Học thuật

Noun

1. a heavy smoker (usually of cigarettes) who lights one off of another