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

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

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

For Ravika, checking her fitness tracker stats became an "obsession"

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

“All of a sudden, that obsession with what my next meal was going to be just disappeared,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The obsession with founders, meanwhile, has grown steadily stronger, fusing with the belief in personal-brand-as-business-model.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

The source further alleged, “The truth is that Pitt’s ego and obsession for control got in the way. Brad refused to work with Stoli simply because Angie chose them, not him.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

But no matter how shabbily he is treated, Goriot goes on, living out the obsession of his life.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

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

That said, I share both these writers’ enthusiasms and obsessions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

None of these three big investor obsessions is having a meaningful positive impact on Tesla’s financials.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026

J. Edgar Hoover, who led the FBI for 48 years, had established a personal fiefdom devoted to consolidating power and pursuing his own personal obsessions, sometimes with blackmail and coercion.

From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2026

Besides the number 7, I have two other major obsessions.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Related Words

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