shopaholic

English

Alternative forms

• shopoholic

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *skup-

Old English scoppa

Middle English shoppe

English shop

Akkadian 𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)bor.

Aramaic כוחלא (kuḥlā)bor.

Arabic كُحْل (kuḥl)

Andalusian Arabic اَلْكُحُول (al-kuḥūl)bor.

Medieval Latin alcoholder.

Middle English alcofol

English alcohol

Proto-Indo-European *-kos

Proto-Indo-European *-ikos

Proto-Italic *-ikos

Latin -icuslbor.

Old French -iquebor.

Middle English -ik

English -ic

English alcoholic

English -oholic

English -aholic

English shopaholic

From shop + -aholic.

Noun

shopaholic (plural shopaholics)

1. One who shops excessively; a shopping addict.

   Shopaholics lose a lot of their money and possibly go broke because they've spent all of it.

   • 2025 February 10, Agence France-Presse, “No more new clothes: why a fast-fashion addict gave up shopping”, in South China Morning Post‎^[1], retrieved 1 December 2025:

     South Korean shopaholic-turned-climate activist Lee So-yeon used to buy new clothes almost daily – until a US$1.50 winter coat triggered an awakening that stopped her shopping entirely.

Related terms

• shopaholism

Translations

one who shops very frequently

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 購物狂 / 购物狂 (gòuwùkuáng)

• Finnish: himoshoppailija
• German: Kaufsüchtiger (de) m, Kaufsüchtige f
• Hungarian: boltkóros
• Polish: zakupoholik (pl) m
• Russian: шопого́лик (ru) m (šopogólik)

common term applied to someone suffering from oniomania

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 購物狂 / 购物狂 (gòuwùkuáng)

• Finnish: ostosriippuvainen
• Polish: zakupoholik (pl) m
• Russian: шопого́лик (ru) m (šopogólik)

See also

• retail therapy