compulsive

[kuhm-puhl-siv]

adjective

1. compelling; compulsory.

2. Psychology.

   1. pertaining to, characterized by, or involving compulsion.

      a compulsive desire to cry.

   2. governed by an obsessive need to conform, be scrupulous, etc., coupled with an inability to express positive emotions.

noun

1. Psychology.,  a person whose behavior is governed by a compulsion.

compulsive

/ kəmˈpʌlsɪv /

adjective

1. relating to or involving compulsion

noun

1. psychiatry an individual who is subject to a psychological compulsion

Other Word Forms

• compulsively adverb
• compulsiveness noun
• compulsivity noun
• noncompulsive adjective
• noncompulsively adverb
• quasi-compulsive adjective
• quasi-compulsively adverb
• uncompulsive adjective
• uncompulsively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of compulsive¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; obsolete compulse, verb (from Latin compuls(us), past participle of compellere; compulsion ) + -ive

Example Sentences

He’s a compulsive name-dropper, peppering his speeches with boring stories whose only point is to exaggerate his relationship to famous people.

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She turned to compulsive eating “so my body could become so big it would never be broken again.”

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A compulsive diarist, Odell observed that his "anguish" about the news was affecting his day-to-day relationships.

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There is plenty of cold-hearted, merciless darkness, compulsive behavior and, of course, ill-fated love of all kinds.

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It’s not only that Norma symbolizes our corrosive need for attention — “an archetypal figure that embodies our compulsive search for fame and acceptance,” as he puts it.

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Related Words

• enthusiastic 
• irresistible 
• passionate 
• uncontrollable