obsession

[uhb-sesh-uhn]

noun

1. the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc.

2. the idea, image, desire, feeling, etc., itself.

3. the state of being obsessed. obsessed.

4. the act of obsessing.

obsession

/ əbˈsɛʃən /

noun

1. psychiatry a persistent idea or impulse that continually forces its way into consciousness, often associated with anxiety and mental illness

2. a persistent preoccupation, idea, or feeling

3. the act of obsessing or the state of being obsessed

obsession

1. A preoccupation with a feeling or idea. In psychology, an obsession is similar to a compulsion.

Other Word Forms

• obsessional adjective
• nonobsession noun
• nonobsessional adjective
• self-obsession noun
• obsessionally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of obsession¹

First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin obsessiōn-, stem of obsessiō “blockade, siege,” from obsess(us) “occupied, besieged” (past participle of obsidēre “to occupy, besiege”; obsess ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

This gave way to a "shoe obsession" once Snoeijs' surgery produced positive results and she was able to buy high-street footwear.

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He added that the Ethiopian ruling party's "obsession" with the Red Sea and River Nile was "bizarre and mind-boggling by all standards".

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But none of this would happen if India, and Indians, could wean themselves off their obsession with cough syrups.

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Without giving too much away, Witherspoon and Coben in this novel have tapped into the wealthy’s obsession with using technology to foster super-agers.

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“Driven by isolation, psychosis and an all-consuming obsession with his mother, Gein’s perverse crimes birthed a new kind of monster that would haunt Hollywood for decades.”

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Related Words

• compulsion 
• delusion 
• enthusiasm 
• fascination 
• infatuation 
• mania 
• passion 
• phobia 
• preoccupation