alcoholic
alcoholic — adjective
1. used for a drink or other liquid that has alcohol in it.
used for a drink or other liquid that has alcohol in it.
The hotel bar serves alcoholic drinks after six every evening.
collocation: alcoholic drink
At the night market, adults bought alcoholic cider while the children chose tea.
Only alcoholic products are kept behind the counter at this store.
By law, shops cannot sell alcoholic drinks to minors.
- non-alcoholic
used for drinks that contain no alcohol
文法句型
alcoholic drink
alcoholic beverage
be alcoholic
用法筆記
Most often used before nouns such as 'drink', 'beverage', 'beer', or 'wine'. Distinguish from sense 2, which describes a person with dependence on alcohol.
常見錯誤
2. describes someone who has become dependent on alcohol and cannot control drinkin
describes someone who has become dependent on alcohol and cannot control drinking without help.
After years of hiding bottles, Ken finally admitted he was alcoholic.
pattern: be alcoholic
The doctor said Maria's father was alcoholic and needed long-term support.
During counseling, Emma described her brother as alcoholic and asked what support helped.
After treatment, Nina told new friends she was alcoholic and skipped drinks after work.
- alcohol-dependent
more clinical and more respectful in formal contexts
- addicted to alcohol
clear everyday phrasing that stresses the dependence
文法句型
be alcoholic
become alcoholic
describe someone as alcoholic
用法筆記
Often appears after 'be', 'become', or verbs such as 'call' and 'describe'. In careful or medical contexts, many speakers prefer person-first wording such as 'a person with alcohol dependence' or 'a person with alcohol use disorder'.
常見錯誤
alcoholic — noun
1. someone with a harmful dependence on alcohol who finds stopping very difficult.
someone with a harmful dependence on alcohol who finds stopping very difficult.
At the support group, one recovering alcoholic talked about losing his taxi job.
collocation: recovering alcoholic
The film shows an alcoholic trying to rebuild trust with her daughter.
A local paper described the mayor as an alcoholic during the scandal.
Two recovering alcoholics led the meeting in Tainan last night.
- person with alcohol dependence
person-first and more respectful, especially in health contexts
- problem drinker
focuses on the drinking behaviour and may sound less severe
- heavy drinker
describes large amounts of drinking, but not always dependence
文法句型
an alcoholic
recovering alcoholic
describe someone as an alcoholic
用法筆記
Countable noun, usually with 'a/an' or modifiers such as 'recovering' and 'former'. It can sound harsh or stigmatizing, so careful or medical writing often prefers 'person with alcohol dependence' or 'person with alcohol use disorder'.