nouns - Opposite word of "addiction"


Though the very obvious opposite of the word addiction is "deaddiction", I couldn't find the latter in any dictionary (I checked in Oxford, Chambers and Cambridge). Why is it so?


If "deaddiction" is not the real antonym, then please suggest another.



Answer



The problem with asking for an antonym is that most words have more than one nuance or meaning, so antonyms can branch off into more than one direction – and sometimes even several.


In the case of addiction, I can think of at least two senses of the word:


There's addiction as a chemical, biological, or psychological dependency, usually regarded as detrimental to one's well-being (e.g., drug addiction, sex addiction, gambling addiction).


Then there's addiction used in a less scientific way, where it describes more of a rabid obsession than a true dependency (as in, addicted to fishing, golf, or romance novels).


The NOAD describes it like this:


enter image description here


So, as for antonyms: when talking about the latter usage, we might try words like:


indifference, apathy, disinterest



Bob is addicted to bowling, but his wife Mary is indifferent about it.


My daughter had a Pokemon addiction in grade school, but she finally grew out of it, and feels only apathy now.



But when we are talking about the former usage – such as someone's bout with alcoholism, or struggle to quit smoking – words like disinterest and dispassion don't work very well as antonyms. I'm more inclined to suggest words like:


independence, autonomy, freedom



Paul has been free from his nicotine addiction for six years now.


I thought Mary had finally gained independence from her alcoholism, but it seems like she can't stay on the wagon.



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