obsessive

adjective

ob·​ses·​sive äb-ˈse-siv 

əb-

1

a

: tending to cause obsession

b

: excessive often to an unreasonable degree

2

: of, relating to, or characterized by obsession : deriving from obsession

obsessive noun

obsessively adverb

obsessiveness noun

Synonyms

• besetting
• compulsive
• driven
• impulsive
• obsessional

Examples of obsessive in a Sentence

Many dancers are obsessive about their weight.

He is an obsessive workaholic who never stops thinking about his job.

an obsessive interest in space travel

The new therapy is supposed to help people control their obsessive thoughts.

Recent Examples on the Web

For those unfamiliar with the Richard Linklater trilogy, the characters end up playing out their star signs perfectly: Scorpio (Jesse) is loyal to a fault, intensely romantic, dramatic, and even obsessive. —Erika W. Smith, Vogue, 11 Feb. 2025

Addiction and obsessive behavior are other targets of microdosers, as the drugs seem to tame cravings for more than just food. —Beth Landman, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2025

Debussy turned those athletic demands into explosions of obsessive invention, and that’s where Tao is perfectly at home. —Justin Davidson, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2025

And blacks like scraps of carbon paper This obsessive recalibration, typical of McCrae’s work, uses language to explore language’s limits, insisting that words can do no more than approximate a place beyond our comprehension: poetry as the pain scale. —Elisa Gonzalez, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

obsess + -ive

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing obsessive

• obsessive-compulsive
• obsessive-compulsive disorder

Kids Definition

obsessive

adjective

ob·​ses·​sive äb-ˈses-iv 

əb-

: of, relating to, having, or being an obsession

obsessively adverb

Medical Definition

obsessive

1 of 2 adjective

ob·​ses·​sive äb-ˈses-iv, əb- 

: of, relating to, causing, or characterized by obsession : deriving from obsession

obsessive behavior

obsessively adverb

obsessiveness noun

obsessive

2 of 2 noun

: an obsessive individual