obsession

American  

[uhb-sesh-uhn] / əbˈsɛʃ ən /

noun

• obsessions
  plural

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.

4. the act of obsessing.

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obsession British  

/ 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

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obsession Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• obsessions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of obsession

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”; see obsess) + -iō -ion

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Explanation

If you have an obsession, you're totally fixated on something and unhealthily devoted to it. Some common obsessions include fantasy football leagues, celebrity gossip, and Elvis memorabilia. Obsession is kind of like a passion for something that crosses the line into crazy territory. Sometimes people get so preoccupied with their obsessions that it makes them anxious or emotionally unstable. If you have an obsession with the Yankees, for example, you might go to every single game, skip work to watch spring training, paper your room with Yankees posters, and write love notes to Derek Jeter.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

obsession obsessions

Only the Cook Islands can lay similar claims to an all-out obsession with the game in terms of national importance.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

It’s about his obsession with “Minecraft,” the immensely popular video sandbox game that takes place in a world of 3D cubes representing raw materials such as wood, ores, stone and dirt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

And yet, Sephora and other cosmetic retailers love that their obsession with anti-aging begins in their teens and 20s.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026

"When I met him, I could see a real author's style in him and I've always sensed in him an obsession with becoming a writer and a thirst for reading," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

He was genuinely interested in computers, not for their own sake but for their service to a lifelong obsession: the inner workings of the stock market.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

One of my climate obsessions, post-California, is clean indoor air, which rules out burning wood inside the house.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The rediscovery of Homer, alien obsessions, a novel of the Roman Republic’s fall and more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

His best work tunneled into life’s darkest spaces to excavate ideas about our fears and obsessions, often reflected through dazzling practical effects that matched the naturalism of his greatest feature: a singularly expressive, malleable face.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

I am growing to love Jane Schoenbrun’s exfoliation of ’80s horror obsessions, especially for the movie’s nonjudgmental embrace: Let these movies be free in all their “problematic” badness and let them work on you.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

"I believe you've had an opportunity to witness just how wild Sophia can be. I saw her handiwork with one of the Pompadour twins. And I take it she's shown you her portraits? Her obsessions."

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

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Related Words

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

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