Dictionary

junkie en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈd͡ʒʌŋki/
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree English junk Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English -ie English junkie From junk (“narcotic drug”) + -ie.

Meanings

1. (derogatory, slang) A narcotics addict, especially a heroin user.
   • Rats in the front room, roaches in the back / Junkies in the alley with a baseball bat 1982, “The Message”, performed by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five:
   • It's wiser to say no / God made me a junkie / But Satan told me so 2023, “Strung Out Johnny”, in Every Loser, performed by Iggy Pop:
2. (broadly, slang) An enthusiast of something.
   • My uncle is a classic-car junkie.
   • English people are travel junkies, but Americans hardly ever leave their state.

Forms

Deriveds

junkiedom · tuna junkie · cyberjunkie · technojunkie · junkiehood · adrenaline junkie · momentum junkie · junkieness

Descendants

jonkare · yonqui · Junkie

Synonyms

freak · slave · amateur · drug addict · junkie · enthusiast · votary · buff · enthusiast · abuser · addict · addict · aficionado · devotee · fancier · fan · fiend · maniac · aficionado · fiend · zealot · wastoid

Translations (15)

pl fanka (enthusiast) · es yonki (narcotics addict) · id pecandu (enthusiast) · es yonqui (narcotics addict) · es adicta (enthusiast) · pl ćpun (narcotics addict) · pl ćpunka (narcotics addict) · cmn 愛好者 /爱好者 (enthusiast) · es adicto (enthusiast) · fr accro (enthusiast) · pl fan (enthusiast) · es vicioso (enthusiast) · fi hullu (enthusiast) · ru энтузиа́ст (enthusiast) · ru люби́тель (enthusiast)