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.
By the time Dyson married, had children, and became obsessed with improving the suction of vacuum cleaners in his early 30s, he had tired of having a boss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Mr. Kidd is obsessed in particular with Oxbridge dons, as the academics at these two British universities are known in demotic parlance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
After enrolling in what he assumed would be an easy acting class during his senior year of high school, Zucker became obsessed with improv and comedy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
"He's very clever. He's very tactical. He's obsessed with football, you can see that," said Maddison.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
“The thing you and Avery always say. I’m not obsessed with Jonah.”
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
