obsession

[uhb-sesh-uhn]

noun

1. the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc.

2. the idea, image, desire, feeling, etc., itself.

3. the state of being obsessed. obsessed.

4. the act of obsessing.

obsession

/ əbˈsɛʃən /

noun

1. psychiatry a persistent idea or impulse that continually forces its way into consciousness, often associated with anxiety and mental illness

2. a persistent preoccupation, idea, or feeling

3. the act of obsessing or the state of being obsessed

obsession

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

Other Word Forms

• obsessional adjective
• nonobsession noun
• nonobsessional adjective
• self-obsession noun
• obsessionally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of obsession¹

First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin obsessiōn-, stem of obsessiō “blockade, siege,” from obsess(us) “occupied, besieged” (past participle of obsidēre “to occupy, besiege”; obsess ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

Over the past few years, the Premier League has developed a more possession-based strategy and, individually and collectively, defending has without doubt been restricted by our obsession to play football 'the right way'.

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The current Fed obsession fulfills that need, as earnings season will soon end and many investors are debating if the artificial-intelligence trade is a bubble.

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The current Fed obsession fulfills that need, as earnings season will soon end and many investors are debating if the artificial-intelligence trade is a bubble.

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In Saint Petersburg, it was Tsar Nicholas, a tall, stern military man with a fiery temper and an obsession for order.

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In the early and mid-1800s, England, the most powerful country in the world, had a national obsession.

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Related Words

• compulsion 
• delusion 
• enthusiasm 
• fascination 
• infatuation 
• mania 
• passion 
• phobia 
• preoccupation