I see it all too often.
“This is a very addicting game” and it hurts my brain to look at it.
Correct me if I’m wrong but it isn’t a valid use of the word. It should be
“This is a very addictive game”
I don’t know if this is a hijack, but I hate that term, grammatically correct or not. Well not hate, but it just has the opposite affect on me than it’s supposed to.
I get the logic behind it being considered praise - “addictive” as in being so interesting that you’ll want to return again and again, but viscerally, that’s not what “addictive” immediately brings to mind. I think of a psychological compulsion despite one’s best interests - and that’s not fun. I don’t want to be addicted to anything, and I’m familiar enough with all sorts of things giving me cheap highs that drive me to draining compulsion (ex. messageboards) that I can view the promise of being “addictive” as a dire warning.
Try “interesting”, “engrossing”, or something else extolling the actual substance of what you’re trying to pimp.
You’ll want to stay away from one of my favorite time-wasting sites then.
Yes. The term is addictive. And I hate, hate, HATE the sound of it the other way too…makes no sense.
L
Professional Writer (20 years)