What does workaholics mean?
Workaholics are people who work with compulsive intensity, often working excessively long hours and struggling to disconnect. The word is generally informal and carries a mixed reputation: it can mock someone for sacrificing health, family life, or leisure to their job, but it can also acknowledge a strong work ethic with humor or admiration. In professional contexts, discussion of workaholism often focuses on the underlying pattern rather than on the person, examining its effects on stress, burnout, relationships, and organizational culture. Although it is formed by analogy with alcoholism, the term is not ordinarily used as a formal medical diagnosis. The plural workaholics is simply the regular plural of workaholic and refers to two or more people known for this pattern.
plural nounWorkaholics are people who work excessively and compulsively, often at the expense of their health, relationships, or leisure. The term usually implies that their attachment to work resembles an addiction.
- People who work excessively and compulsively, typically to the detriment of their health, personal relationships, or leisure.
"After years of late nights and missed weekends, she finally admitted that she was one of the office's most committed workaholics."
"Her colleagues admired her productivity but worried that she was turning into a workaholic."
"The documentary portrayed Silicon Valley's most notorious workaholics and the culture that rewarded them."
The regular plural of workaholic, used for two or more people characterized by excessive or compulsive work.
"Several of the department's workaholics had remained at the office throughout the night."
Workaholics are people hooked on work—a dependency expressed through a word deliberately modeled on alcoholism.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of workaholics
Workaholic is a blend of work and the element -aholic, as found in alcoholic. The word emerged in the mid-20th century, applying the language of addiction to an unusually intense and compulsive relationship with work. Workaholics is the regular English plural of workaholic.
Related word forms
How workaholics is actually used
Informal and usually evaluative, though it may be used affectionately or humorously. It can be genuinely critical when describing someone who neglects their health or relationships, but it is also frequently a self-deprecating label. The related noun workaholism is sometimes used in professional discussions of workplace behavior.