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obsessive

[ uhb-ses-iv ]
/ əbĖˆsɛs ÉŖv /
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See synonyms for: obsessive / obsessiveness 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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Origin of obsessive

First recorded in 1910ā€“15; obsess(ion) + -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM obsessive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use obsessive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for obsessive

obsessive
/ (əbĖˆsɛsÉŖv) /

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 Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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