DEFINITIONS
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obsession

[ uh b-sesh-uh n ]
/ əbˈsɛʃ ən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR obsession ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc.
the idea, image, desire, feeling, etc., itself.
the state of being obsessed.
the act of obsessing.

Content related to obsession

Weird Obsessions You Never Knew Had A NameWe're here to help give you some balanced insight into some of the strangest mad habits and manias.
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Weird Obsessions You Never Knew Had A NameWe're here to help give you some balanced insight into some of the strangest mad habits and manias.
READ MORE

Words related to obsession

phobia, fascination, delusion, mania, passion, infatuation, enthusiasm, compulsion, preoccupation, phantom, case, monkey, attraction, hang-up, fancy, crush, thing, complex, fetish, neurosis

Words nearby obsession

observatory, observe, observer, obsess, obsessed, obsession, obsessive, obsessive-compulsive, obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsidian, obsidian dating

Origin of obsession

1505–15; < Latin obsessiōn- (stem of obsessiō) blockade, siege, equivalent to obsess(us) (see obsess) + -iōn- -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM obsession

ob·ses·sion·al, adjectivenon·ob·ses·sion, nounnon·ob·ses·sion·al, adjectiveself-ob·ses·sion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for obsession

British Dictionary definitions for obsession

obsession
/ (əbˈsɛʃən) /

noun

psychiatry a persistent idea or impulse that continually forces its way into consciousness, often associated with anxiety and mental illness
a persistent preoccupation, idea, or feeling
the act of obsessing or the state of being obsessed

Derived forms of obsession

obsessional, adjectiveobsessionally, adverb
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

Medical definitions for obsession

obsession
[ əb-sĕsh′ən, ŏb- ]

n.

Compulsive preoccupation with an idea or an unwanted feeling or emotion, often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety.
A compulsive, often unreasonable idea or emotion.

Other words from obsession

ob•ses′sion•al adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Cultural definitions for obsession

obsession

A preoccupation with a feeling or idea. In psychology, an obsession is similar to a compulsion.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.