compulsive
Americanadjective
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compelling; compulsory.
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Psychology.
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pertaining to, characterized by, or involving compulsion.
a compulsive desire to cry.
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governed by an obsessive need to conform, be scrupulous, etc., coupled with an inability to express positive emotions.
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noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of compulsive
First recorded in 1595–1605; obsolete compulse, verb (from Latin compuls(us), past participle of compellere; see compulsion) + -ive
Explanation
Compulsive people have irresistible urges to do certain things, like a compulsive gossip who simply cannot keep a secret. If you're compulsive, you can't stop yourself from doing something, like compulsive counting of the sidewalk blocks on your way to school. There is sometimes an upside to compulsive behavior — like a compulsive desire to be the best hockey player, which makes you work hard to make it happen. Someone who has compulsive tendencies can be called a compulsive, the noun form of the word.
Vocabulary lists containing compulsive
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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Born a Crime
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The Pigman
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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.
The 34-year-old, from Redditch, Worcestershire, is one of around 750,000 people in the UK who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
“I was a complete unknown,” Ms. Stern said in a 2018 interview with the website Compulsive Reader.
From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2024
Felicia Grondin, executive director of The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, cited a report in Barron’s that said $292 million was spent on sports betting ads in the U.S. in 2020.
From Seattle Times • May 13, 2022
Compulsive eating is as much an addiction as alcoholism or gambling.
From Washington Post • Jun. 18, 2021
Compulsive ideas are ideas which intrude, recur, and persist despite reason and will.
From Applied Psychology for Nurses by Porter, Mary F.
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.
