Definition

Noun: 1. A person who is addicted to a narcotic drug, especially heroin. 2. A person with an obsessive enthusiasm or dependency on a particular activity or thing; a fanatic.

Usage

• As a direct reference to a drug addict:
  • The city opened a new clinic to help junkies seeking rehabilitation.
  • He was a junkie for ten years before getting clean.
• As a reference to an enthusiast (informal, often humorous):
  • She's a total fitness junkie, working out every single day.
  • My brother is a tech junkie who always buys the latest gadgets.

Examples

• Drug addiction context:
  • The documentary followed the life of a former heroin junkie.
  • Support groups provide a community for recovering junkies.
• Enthusiast context:
  • As a politics junkie, he watches every debate and reads multiple newspapers daily.
  • I'm a coffee junkie; I can't start my day without a strong espresso.

Advanced Usage

• The term is highly informal and can be considered offensive or stigmatizing when referring to a person with a substance use disorder. More neutral terms like "person with a substance use disorder" or "addict" are often preferred in clinical or sensitive contexts.
• When used to describe an enthusiast, it is informal and hyperbolic, comparing a strong interest to an addiction. It is often used in compound nouns: "adrenaline junkie," "sugar junkie," "information junkie."

Variants and Related Words

• Junky (noun): An alternative, less common spelling with the same meanings.
• Addict (noun): A more general and formal term for someone physically or psychologically dependent on a substance or activity.
• Enthusiast (noun): A formal term for a person who is highly interested in a particular activity or subject.
• Fanatic (noun): A person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal for something.

Synonyms

• For drug addiction: Addict, user, druggie (slang), fiend (slang).
• For enthusiasm: Devotee, aficionado, fan, buff, nut (slang), freak (slang).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Adrenaline junkie: A person who craves excitement and thrill-seeking activities.
  • Base jumpers are often considered adrenaline junkies.
• News junkie: A person who obsessively follows current events.
  • He checks his news feed constantly; he's a real news junkie.

Noun

1. someone who is so ardently devoted to something that it resembles an addiction
   • a golf addict
   • a car nut
   • a bodybuilding freak
   • a news junkie
2. a narcotics addict