definitions

obsession

[ uh b-sesh-uh n ]
/ əbˈsɛʃ ən /
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SEE MORE 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.

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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

observe, observedly, observer, obsess, obsessed, obsession, obsessional, obsessive, obsessive-compulsive, obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessively

Origin of obsession

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

Related forms

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

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

Medicine 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.

Related forms

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.

Culture 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.