Word
workaholic
Phoneticsworka·holic
US/ˌwɝkəˈhɑɫɪk/
UK/wˌɜːkɐhˈɒlɪk/
Countable noun
Definition
n. someone who works too much and finds it hard to stop, even in the evening or on weekends. You use this when work takes over most of a person's life.
n. a person compulsively devoted to work, often at the expense of health, relationships, or leisure. Implies excessive, hard-to-control working habits rather than ordinary diligence.
Examples
“My brother is a workaholic and works every weekend.”
“As a self-described workaholic, she checks email at dinner and struggles to take holidays.”
“The novel portrays its hero as a recovering workaholic who learns that constant productivity cannot repair his strained marriage.”
Examples
simple
“My brother is a workaholic and works every weekend.”
contextual
“As a self-described workaholic, she checks email at dinner and struggles to take holidays.”
complex
“The novel portrays its hero as a recovering workaholic who learns that constant productivity cannot repair his strained marriage.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “workaholic” in context.
Verb
01. become workaholic
“After his promotion, he became a workaholic and stopped seeing friends.”
verb + noun
02. live with workaholic
“Living with a workaholic can be lonely and stressful.”
verb + prep + noun
03. marry workaholic
“She married a workaholic, so they rarely eat dinner together.”
verb + noun
04. workaholic burns out
“Even a committed workaholic burns out without proper rest.”
noun + verb
Adjective
05. hopeless workaholic
“She is a hopeless workaholic and rarely takes a holiday.”
adj + noun
06. reformed workaholic
“As a reformed workaholic, he now leaves the office by six.”
adj + noun
07. self-confessed workaholic
“My boss is a self-confessed workaholic who answers emails at midnight.”
adj + noun
Noun
08. fellow workaholic
“He swapped tips with a fellow workaholic at the conference.”
noun + noun
09. office workaholic
“Our office workaholic is always the first to arrive.”
noun + noun
10. a self-confessed workaholic
“I'm a self-confessed workaholic and I'm trying to take weekends off.”
11. admit to being a workaholic
“He finally admitted to being a workaholic after missing his son's birthday.”
12. married to a workaholic
“Being married to a workaholic means planning holidays months ahead.”
Real-World Examples
“A workaholic with a low public profile, Hui at times demanded that others follow his work style, three employees told Reuters.” Etymology
From work + -aholic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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