A noun describing a person who is addicted to shopping, often shopping excessively or compulsively. It is used humorously or critically to refer to someone whose buying behavior is driven by a strong urge to acquire goods, sometimes beyond practical need. The term blends shop with -aholic to echo alcohol or workaholic, signaling dependency.
"She jokes that she’s a shopaholic after buying clothes online at midnight."
"The program targets compulsive shoppers and helps them manage spending without shaming the shopaholic."
"Some people develop a reputation as a shopaholic, which can affect their social and financial life."
"In rehab-style groups, a shopaholic may learn budgeting strategies and triggers for impulse buying."
Shopaholic is a blend (portmanteau) of shop, meaning to buy goods, and -aholic, a productive suffix derived from alcoholic, used metaphorically to indicate addiction or dependency. The compound likely emerged in late 20th century English in consumer culture, paralleling terms like workaholic and alcoholics. The root shop traces to Old English soppian/scohian, related to buying merchandise. The -aholic suffix gained traction in slang by mid-20th century, with alcohol eventually giving way to other -aholic formations (shopaholic, gadgetaholic, chocoholic). First known uses appear in print in popular magazines and self-help contexts focusing on compulsive spending. Over time, the word has become a common descriptor in lifestyle journalism, online forums, and retail marketing, often used lightheartedly but sometimes with critical nuance when discussing debt or materialism.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Shopaholic" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Shopaholic"
-lic sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Shopaholic is pronounced /ˌʃɒp.əˈhɒ.lɪk/ in UK/US IPA with the primary stress on the third syllable (ha). US and UK share the same primary beat on -ha-, while the initial 'shop' uses a short o as in 'shop'. Start with /ʃ/ (sh) followed by /ɒ/ (short o as in 'cot' in British English), then a reduced /ə/ in the second syllable, then /ˈhɒ/ with a breathy onset for -hol-, and finish with /lɪk/. Audio reference: you can listen to native speech on Pronounce or YouGlish for real-world context.
Common errors: pronouncing the second syllable as a full vowel instead of a schwa, and misplacing the primary stress on the first syllable (SHOP-a-holic) or the last; also blending the second and third syllables too tightly. Corrections: keep a light, quick schwa in the middle /ə/ and maintain the stress on /ˈhɒ/ rather than the initial or final. Practice with slow repetition: /ˌʃɒp.əˈhɒ.lɪk/.
In US, the /ɒ/ in 'shop' is often raised toward /ɑ/ in many dialects; UK commonly uses /ɒ/ as in 'lot'. AU tends to be non-rhotic with a clear /ɒ/ but can have tighter vowels. The second syllable uses a schwa /ə/ in most accents; the final 'holic' tends to be /ˈhɒ.lɪk/ with a short i. Overall: accent differences mostly affect vowel quality and rhoticity; the stress remains on the third syllable.
The difficulty lies in the sequence /ʃɒp.əˈhɒ.lɪk/, which combines a clipped initial consonant cluster, a reduced middle vowel, and a stressed final syllable with a crisp /lɪk/. Non-native speakers often misplace the stress, or insert a full vowel in the middle, and may struggle with the final -lic ending. Focus on keeping the middle /ə/ light and the final /lɪk/ clean.
What makes 'Shopaholic' tricky is the shift from a strong onset /ʃ/ and /ɒ/ to a light, unstressed /ə/ in the middle, followed by a confident /ˈhɒ.lɪk/ with l- and final -k. Keep the mouth relaxed for the schwa, then spring into the tight, crisp -hol- syllable. IPA reminder: /ˌʃɒp.əˈhɒ.lɪk/.
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