definitions
  • synonyms

obsessive

[ uh b-ses-iv ]
/ əbˈsɛs ɪv /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR obsessive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

being, pertaining to, or resembling an obsession: an obsessive fear of illness.
causing an obsession.
excessive, especially extremely so.

noun

someone who has an obsession or obsessions; a person who thinks or behaves in an obsessive manner.

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RELATED WORDS

manic, distraught, compulsive, disturbed, self-absorbed, snobbish, narcissistic, subjective, boastful, pompous, selfish, stubborn, single-minded, narrow-minded, frenzied, zealous, impassioned, enthusiastic, violent, bigoted

Nearby words

observer, obsess, obsessed, obsession, obsessional, obsessive, obsessive-compulsive, obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessively, obsidian, obsidian dating

Origin of obsessive

First recorded in 1910–15; obsess(ion) + -ive
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for obsessive

British Dictionary definitions for obsessive

obsessive

/ (əbˈsɛsɪv) /

adjective

psychiatry motivated by a persistent overriding idea or impulse, often associated with anxiety and mental illness
continually preoccupied with a particular activity, person, or thing

noun

psychiatry a person subject to obsession
a person who is continually preoccupied with a particular activity, person, or thing
Derived Formsobsessively, adverbobsessiveness, noun
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

Word Origin and History for obsessive

obsessive

adj.

1911, from obsess + -ive. Related: Obsessively. Obsessive-compulsive is attested from 1927.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for obsessive

obsessive

[ əb-sĕs′ĭv, ŏb- ]

adj.

Of, characteristic of, or causing an obsession.
Related formsob•ses′sive n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.