obsessive

[ uhb-ses-iv ]
/ əbˈsɛs ɪv /
SEE 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.

Origin of obsessive

First recorded in 1910–15; obsess(ion) + -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM obsessive

Words nearby obsessive

observe, observer, obsess, obsessed, obsession, obsessive, obsessive-compulsive, obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsidian, obsidian dating, obsidional coin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to obsessive

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

Example sentences 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 forms of obsessive

obsessively, 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

Medical definitions for obsessive

obsessive
[ əb-sĕs′ĭv, ŏb- ]

adj.

Of, characteristic of, or causing an obsession.

Other words from obsessive

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