obsessive

/əb'sesiv/

Thân thiện

A student becomes obsessive about organizing her colored pencils by shade.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Characterized by or constituting an obsession: Describes thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that are dominated by a persistent, intrusive, and often distressing idea, impulse, or focus.
   • Excessive and preoccupying: Describes an interest or concern that is abnormally intense and difficult to control or stop thinking about.

2. Noun:

   • A person who has obsessions: An individual who suffers from or is characterized by obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviors.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • She has an obsessive need for cleanliness. (Her preoccupation with cleanliness is excessive and controlling.)
  • His attention to detail was obsessive, checking every report a dozen times. (His focus on detail was abnormally intense and persistent.)
• Noun:
  • He is an obsessive about punctuality; he arrives everywhere an hour early. (He is a person whose behavior is dominated by a preoccupation with being on time.)

Advanced Usage

• "obsessive about": Used to indicate the specific object of the obsession.
  • She is obsessive about her diet, counting every single calorie.
• "obsessive-compulsive": A clinical term often used as an adjective to describe patterns of obsession and compulsion together. (Note: This is a compound term listed here as it is a common related phrase).
  • The repetitive hand-washing was an obsessive-compulsive behavior.

Variants and Related Words

• Obsessively (adverb): In an obsessive manner.
  • He checked the locks obsessively before going to bed.
• Obsess (verb): To preoccupy or fill the mind continually.
  • He tends to obsess over minor mistakes.
• Obsession (noun): The state of being obsessed or the thing that causes it.
  • Her obsession with fame was unhealthy.

Synonyms

• Compulsive: Driven by an irresistible inner force.
• Preoccupied: Absorbed in thought to the exclusion of other things.
• Fixated: Having an intense, often irrational focus on something.

Related Phrases

• Obsessive love: An unhealthy, all-consuming form of romantic attachment.
  • The novel explores the dangers of obsessive love.
• Obsessive thought: A recurring, unwanted, and distressing idea.
  • He was tormented by obsessive thoughts of failure.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. characterized by or constituting an obsession
   • the obsessional character of his response
   • obsessive gambling

Noun

1. a person who has obsessions

Từ đồng nghĩa

• obsessional