Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obsessed
Explanation
If you visit your grandmother and discover that she has collected so many clown dolls and clown paintings that her house is full of them, you may worry that she's become obsessed with clowns. An obsession with something is an unhealthy, extreme interest in it. When someone is obsessed, they've lost control of their feelings about the object of their obsession. The adjective obsessed is often used to simply mean "very interested," but when someone is truly obsessed, their interest has become compulsive, and they've begun to lose control over it. The Latin root is obsessus, or "besieged," and when you're obsessed, your mind has been besieged by uncontrollable thoughts of something.
Vocabulary lists containing obsessed
Esperanza Rising
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The Secret Life of Bees
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Stargirl
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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.
Young people are obsessed with this viral retirement-savings formula.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
One of its brightest colors is fuschia, a hue that Ruiz says Rosales has been obsessed with lately.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Young people are obsessed with this simple retirement saving formula.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
Columnist Jamie Waters was surprised when his parents became obsessed with Claude, the chatbot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
“My sister is obsessed with Shah Rukh Khan movies,” Nico adds.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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.
