Dictionary.com

obsession

[ uhb-sesh-uhn ]
/ əbˈsɛʃ ən /
See synonyms for: obsession / obsessions 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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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. 2021

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

Example sentences from the Web for obsession

  • Some personality styles seem more prone to instant tearing than others; the hysterical can be contrasted with the obsessional.

    Why Do We Cry?|Michael Trimble|January 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST

  • It is often found in cases of insanity of the obsessional or of some other type.

    Tics and Their Treatment|Henry Meigne

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.