Cacoethes

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cacoēthes, from Ancient Greek κακοήθης (“ill-disposed”), from:

• κακός (“bad”)
• ἦθος (“disposition, nature”)

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌkækəʊˈiːθiːz/
• Audio:
• Hyphenation: ca·co·e·thes

Noun

cacoethes (plural cacoethes)

1. Compulsion; mania; an often irresistible urge (especially toward something harmful or ill-advised).
   • The cacoethes scribendi—the itch to write—has ruined many a peaceful life.
   • He spoke of an incurable cacoethes for contradiction.

1. (medicine, obsolete) A bad quality or disposition in a disease; a malignant tumour or ulcer.
   • Physicians once used cacoethes for stubborn, malignant ulcers.

Usage notes

Not to be confused with cacoethics (“bad ethics or morals; bad habits”).

Alternative forms

• cacoëthes

Derived terms

• cacoethic
• cacoethical
• cacoethically

Video Example

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This song functions as a modern illustration of cacoethes, an irresistible and often self-destructive compulsion toward something harmful.

The repeated lines “Make me an addict” and “Can’t say no to you” emphasize the loss of restraint characteristic of a cacoethes. The speaker is not merely expressing desire, but a recurring, self-aware return to what they know diminishes them (“I’m going dumber every time I answer you”). This reflects the historical sense of cacoethes as an ingrained, almost pathological inclination.

The drug metaphor (“I’m a junkie, you’re the drug,” “quick fix,” “entertainment sickness”) parallels the older medical usage of cacoethes, which referred to a malignant condition resistant to cure. Likewise, the relationship described in the song intensifies despite awareness of its harm.

Rather than simple attraction, the lyrics dramatize a cultivated appetite for ruin, a compulsive surrender that aligns closely with the moral and psychological weight of cacoethes.

Transliteration

• Zhuyin (non-tonal): ㄎㄚ ㄎㄡ ㄧ ㄙ
• Katakana: カコエーシーズ
• Hangul: 캐코이시즈