obsessive

[uh b-ses-iv]

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.

Origin of obsessive

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

Related formsob·ses·sive·ly, adverbob·ses·sive·ness, nounnon·ob·ses·sive, adjectivenon·ob·ses·sive·ly, adverbnon·ob·ses·sive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for obsessive

Contemporary Examples

Obsessive exercising and inadequate nutrition can, over time, put people at high risk for overuse injuries like stress fractures.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models
Carrie Arnold
January 8, 2015
McCauley may have married beneath her station, but Gordon-Levitt has obsessive fans.
All Your Internet Boyfriends Are Taken: Gosling, Cumberbatch, and now Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Melissa Leon
January 3, 2015
Panicked, I reached out to hoarding experts, who often refer to any kind of obsessive digital collecting as “infomania.”
I’m a Digital Hoarder
Lizzie Crocker
December 17, 2014
To his detractors, he was a half-mad paranoiac who nearly destroyed the CIA in his obsessive search for a Soviet mole.
The Bizarre Tale of Ben Bradlee, JFK, and the Master Spy
Will Rahn
October 22, 2014
Besides his obsessive preparations, Leslie introduced another tool to the bank-robbing trade —“the little joker.”
The High Society Bank Robber of the 1800s
J. North Conway
October 19, 2014

Historical Examples

The most common of these obsessive acts is washing with water (washing obsession).
Totem and Taboo
Sigmund Freud
Throughout his literary activity it has an obsessive hold on his mind.
Prophets of Dissent
Otto Heller
Soukanhoff was right in warning the obsessive to beware of pedantry.
Why Worry?
George Lincoln Walton, M.D.
Their obsessive striving for the man proves to be determined by their restless flight from the woman.
Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex
Sigmund Freud
Retrospective worry can be absolutely eliminated from the most obsessive mind by the practice of the veteran's philosophy.
Why Worry?
George Lincoln Walton, M.D.

British Dictionary definitions for obsessive

obsessive

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

adj.

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

obsessive in Medicine

obsessive

(əb-sĕs′ĭv, ŏb-)

adj.

Of, characteristic of, or causing an obsession.

Related formsob•ses′sive n.

obsessive

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}obsessive

Examples from the Web for obsessive

Contemporary Examples

Obsessive exercising and inadequate nutrition can, over time, put people at high risk for overuse injuries like stress fractures.

McCauley may have married beneath her station, but Gordon-Levitt has obsessive fans.

Panicked, I reached out to hoarding experts, who often refer to any kind of obsessive digital collecting as “infomania.”

To his detractors, he was a half-mad paranoiac who nearly destroyed the CIA in his obsessive search for a Soviet mole.

Besides his obsessive preparations, Leslie introduced another tool to the bank-robbing trade —“the little joker.”

Historical Examples

The most common of these obsessive acts is washing with water (washing obsession).

Throughout his literary activity it has an obsessive hold on his mind.

Soukanhoff was right in warning the obsessive to beware of pedantry.

Their obsessive striving for the man proves to be determined by their restless flight from the woman.

Retrospective worry can be absolutely eliminated from the most obsessive mind by the practice of the veteran's philosophy.

obsessive

Word Origin and History for obsessive

adj.

obsessive

Origin of obsessive