Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

obsessive

American  
[uhb-ses-iv] / əbˈsɛs ɪv /

adjective

  1. being, pertaining to, or resembling an obsession.

    an obsessive fear of illness.

  2. causing an obsession.

  3. excessive, especially extremely so.

noun

  1. someone who has an obsession or obsessions; a person who thinks or behaves in an obsessive manner.

obsessive British  
/ əbˈsɛsɪv /

adjective

  1. psychiatry motivated by a persistent overriding idea or impulse, often associated with anxiety and mental illness

  2. continually preoccupied with a particular activity, person, or thing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. psychiatry a person subject to obsession

  2. a person who is continually preoccupied with a particular activity, person, or thing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonobsessive adjective
  • nonobsessively adverb
  • nonobsessiveness noun
  • obsessively adverb
  • obsessiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of obsessive

First recorded in 1910–15; obsess(ion) + -ive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Between scans of the horizon, we bond over “Listers,” the 2025 documentary that turns obsessive birdwatching into both comedy and a tale of devotion.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

The 21-year-old art history major says she had never gambled on anything before, but as an Oscars obsessive she surmised that Timothée Chalamet’s “Marty Supreme” campaign was on shaky ground with traditional voters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

In the individual categories, Feinberg said Timothee Chalamet is a clear frontrunner for best actor honors for his portrayal of an obsessive 1950s table tennis star in "Marty Supreme."

From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026

When Anna, a self-described "Heated Rivalry obsessive", watched the show it reminded her of a world she already knew - the Chinese male-male romance stories she had grown up reading.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

I don’t think this is too strictly enforced except when the place is run by an obsessive martinet like Amadeus von Linden.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.