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
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obsessive
First recorded in 1910–15; obsess(ion) + -ive
Explanation
If you rush to the carwash every time a speck of dust lands on your fender, your friends probably describe you as obsessive about keeping your car clean. In other words, you care way too much about your car's cleanliness. Whenever someone is wild about something to an alarming or unnatural extent, you can say they're obsessive. If you go berserk when your neighbor’s soccer ball lands in your flowerbed, your neighbors might think you’re obsessive about your garden. If there’s a person you think about every moment, night and day, you may be obsessive, or maybe you’re just in love.
Vocabulary lists containing obsessive
Achievement First 5th Grade IA 1 Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Hey, Kiddo
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Defence lawyer Caroline Bonavia said he had had a recent autism diagnosis and had sought psychological support over "obsessive" relationships.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Samantha, who her husband describes as an "obsessive travel planner", is all over the Facebook groups and social media pages being used by eclipse hunters to share information and advice.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
YKK built its business through obsessive control over manufacturing and quality, but it faces challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Even so, sonic adventurers, beginning with Leopold Stokowski in the 1930s, experimented with amplification in an obsessive, seemingly quixotic effort to locate a mythical sonic grail on the Cahuenga Pass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
Even my mother, who was obsessive about order and neatness in her house, chose to let the photographs of the two families get commingled and confused.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
