What does shopaholic mean?
A shopaholic is a person who shops excessively, often describing someone for whom shopping has become a habitual or seemingly compulsive pursuit. The term usually implies more than a love of shopping: it suggests uncontrolled spending, an inability to resist buying things, or repeated behavior that causes financial or personal difficulty. It is informal and generally critical rather than neutral, and it is not a clinical diagnosis. The word is especially associated with consumer culture, retail promotions, credit, and discussions of personal finance. Although many people describe themselves or others jokingly as shopaholics, the term can also be used seriously when excessive spending has become damaging. In those contexts, it emphasizes shopping as the behavior of concern, distinguishing the issue from an alcohol use disorder. The expression follows the pattern of words such as alcoholic and workaholic, combining a familiar activity or substance with a suffix denoting excessive devotion or addiction.
nounA person who shops excessively, especially as a habitual or seemingly compulsive activity.
- A person who engages in excessive, habitual, or seemingly compulsive shopping.
"By the end of the sale, she had spent enough to confirm that she was a dedicated shopaholic."
"The shopaholic could hardly pass a shop window without wanting to go inside."
"Financial advisers often advise shopaholics to keep a strict spending budget."
The standard plural of the noun.
"The documentary examined why some shopaholics feel compelled to buy despite mounting debts."
A shopaholic is to shopping what an alcoholic is to alcohol—but the addiction is to the thrill of buying.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shopaholic come from?
Shopaholic is an English blend of shop and the combining form -aholic, which was modeled on alcoholic and became productive in words denoting excessive devotion to an activity. The word belongs to the mid-20th century and reflects the period's expanding consumer culture. Its formation uses the same humorous, potentially stigmatizing pattern as workaholic, transferring the idea of dependence from alcohol to shopping.
Related word forms
How shopaholic is actually used
This is an informal and generally pejorative term, usually used to describe someone whose shopping is excessive or difficult to control. It is not itself a clinical diagnosis.
Easily confused with shopaholic
A shopaholic is someone with an excessive or compulsive urge to shop, whereas an alcoholic has an alcohol use disorder.