compulsive
[kuh m-puhl-siv]
- compelling; compulsory.
- Psychology.
- pertaining to, characterized by, or involving compulsion: a compulsive desire to cry.
- governed by an obsessive need to conform, be scrupulous, etc., coupled with an inability to express positive emotions.
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- Psychology. a person whose behavior is governed by a compulsion.
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Origin of compulsive
1595–1605; obsolete compulse v. (< Latin compuls(us), past participle of compellere; see compulsion) + -ive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for compulsiveness
Contemporary Examples of compulsiveness
I have used this compulsiveness to jump start myself in foreign languages.
compulsive
- relating to or involving compulsion
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- psychiatry an individual who is subject to a psychological compulsion
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for compulsiveness
compulsive
c.1600, from French compulsif, from Latin compulsus, past participle of compellere (see compel). Psychological sense is from 1902. As a noun, attested from 1630s; psychological sense from 1957. Related: Compulsively; compulsiveness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
compulsive
(kəm-pŭl′sĭv)- Caused or conditioned by compulsion or obsession.
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- A person with behavior patterns governed by a compulsion.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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