How to Use compulsive in a Sentence
compulsive
adjective-
Wallace got the compulsive danger right, but misplaced its form.
— Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2017 -
A compulsive overeater who also has a drinking problem, Greg resents his obese body but can’t quite bring himself to get help for his addictions.
— Michael Schaub, latimes.com, 4 Aug. 2017 -
The 11-year-old also had obsessive compulsive disorder and would tear apart her shirts, unpicking all the seams.
— Catie Monteiro, NBC News, 14 Sep. 2017 -
But sometimes our relationship with money can crossover to compulsive.
— Peter Dunn, Indianapolis Star, 23 Aug. 2017 -
Therapy dogs help reduce compulsive behavior in students with special needs and can be a source of support for students who are facing a tragedy.
— Brittany Nader, cleveland.com, 13 July 2017 -
What defeats them is that their compulsive moral condescension impedes their ability to see the country clearly.
— Daniel Henninger, WSJ, 4 Oct. 2017 -
Lastly, there are body focused repetitive behaviors, which are essentially grooming gone awry like compulsive nail-biting, hair-pulling and skin-picking.
— Kate Murphy, ajc, 27 Sep. 2017 -
And her compulsive photographing prefigured our own relationship with our phones, Bannos says, our own desire to constantly document our lives.
— Parul Sehgal, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2017 -
Film noir tends to be about two things: compulsive love and the crimes that get in the way of it.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Jan. 2024 -
This predilection points to a compulsive hold on the life force that had propelled her from the start.
— Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2021 -
Greene was a compulsive gambler who shrugged off the loss of pot loads of money.
— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2023 -
The key signs of CHS are regular pot use and compulsive bathing.
— Molly Sullivan, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 -
Resist the compulsive drive to grade the Cowboys draft more than a week before the class reports to The Star for practice.
— David Moore, Dallas News, 5 May 2021 -
Remove the color—and therefore fun—from your screen to keep compulsive scrolling in check.
— Cathryne Keller, SELF, 13 Aug. 2024 -
But the compulsive workouts only left him more tired, more on edge.
— The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Oct. 2020 -
There are compulsive shoppers who hoard things with the tags still on them (keep the tags on and sell it!) and buy multiple versions of the same thing.
— Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2019 -
Mazurek has found that adults with autism are more prone to compulsive video-game use than their typical peers.
— Sarah Deweerdt, Science | AAAS, 22 June 2018 -
Keep your crabby comments and compulsive shopping on the down-low — at least for those 10 days.
— Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, 20 Oct. 2023 -
This sent me on a search to find the answers to two questions: Why are some people compulsive talkers?
— Dan Lyons, Time, 19 Jan. 2023 -
So there’s something kind of compulsive about her desire to teach these lessons, in this very structured way.
— Emma Dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 Dec. 2020 -
Some of you may wonder how my wife puts up with living with a compulsive punster.
— Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2022 -
Bubbles is a heroin addict, and Royo had no idea how to play that level of compulsive need.
— Sam Anderson, New York Times, 2 May 2018 -
There were the compulsive purchases on QVC of beauty products that weren’t in short supply around the house.
— Greg Swatek, baltimoresun.com, 17 May 2021 -
But your wife’s compulsive smartphone use seems beyond the point of reason.
— Annie Lane, oregonlive, 26 June 2021 -
Grier isn’t obsessive-compulsive, but the senior does like to keep a neat house.
— Matt Murschel, OrlandoSentinel.com, 8 Apr. 2018 -
Not everything has to be Rick and Morty; hell, even Rick and Morty’s compulsive meta-commentary can be too much.
— Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2023 -
Over the course of eight, two-hour episodes, viewers will take a look inside of the lives of those living with and suffering from compulsive hoarding.
— oregonlive, 22 Mar. 2021 -
Settle in for what’s guaranteed to be a compulsive watch.
— Radhika Seth, Vogue, 25 July 2024 -
What sets Joe apart, though, is his prey drive, and his compulsive capacity for learning.
— Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2024 -
His hits span four decades and various business models in the medium — broadcast, cable, streaming — all known for their compulsive watchability.
— E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2024
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'compulsive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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