alcoholicity: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very Low / ObsoleteTechnical / Archaic / Humorous
Quick answer
What does “alcoholicity” mean?
The state or quality of being alcoholic.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The state or quality of being alcoholic; containing alcohol.
Can refer to the strength or concentration of alcohol in a substance, or figuratively to an environment or culture saturated with alcohol consumption.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference, as the term is equally obsolete in both varieties.
Connotations
In either variety, if used today, it carries a formal, old-fashioned, or intentionally humorous tone.
Frequency
Effectively zero in contemporary corpora for both BrE and AmE.
Grammar
How to Use “alcoholicity” in a Sentence
The alcoholicity of [beverage/substance][Beverage/Substance] with a high/low alcoholicityVocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used. Would be replaced by 'ABV' (alcohol by volume) or 'proof' in the drinks industry.
Academic
Might appear in historical studies of chemistry, temperance literature, or philology discussing word formation.
Everyday
Not used. Its use would be perceived as strange, humorous, or pretentious.
Technical
Obsolete technical term, replaced by precise chemical measurements (e.g., % ABV).
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “alcoholicity”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “alcoholicity”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “alcoholicity”
- Using it in modern technical or everyday contexts.
- Confusing it with 'alcoholism' (addiction to alcohol).
- Mispronouncing it with stress on 'hol' (like in 'alcoholic') instead of on 'is'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but it is obsolete and very rarely used. It is found in older texts. In modern English, you should use terms like 'alcohol content' or 'ABV'.
'Alcoholicity' refers to the quality of a substance containing alcohol. 'Alcoholism' is a medical condition referring to addiction to consuming alcohol.
Only if you are writing about historical terminology or using it as a deliberate stylistic choice to evoke an archaic tone. For contemporary scientific writing, 'alcohol concentration', '% ABV', or 'proof' are standard.
Dictionaries are historical records of a language. They include obsolete words to aid in understanding older literature and to show the development of the language, even if those words are no longer in active use.
The state or quality of being alcoholic.
Alcoholicity is usually technical / archaic / humorous in register.
Alcoholicity: in British English it is pronounced /ˌæl.kə.hɒlˈɪs.ɪ.ti/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌæl.kə.hɑːˈlɪs.ə.t̬i/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'Alcohol' + 'city' (as in a place with a quality). A 'city of alcohol' has a high 'alcoholicity' (its defining quality).
Conceptual Metaphor
QUALITY IS A SUBSTANCE (The abstract quality of containing alcohol is spoken of as a measurable substance within a liquid).
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the word 'alcoholicity' be LEAST likely to appear today?