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
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
One of those eccentricities was James’s obsessive fixation on witches.
—
Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
Over the weekend, as online sleuths scoured photos of Trump for evidence of any frailty, the political scientist Ian Bremmer pointed out that obsessive scrutiny of a leader’s health is a hallmark of authoritarian countries.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Just as Manning accelerated his growth through obsessive attention to detail, studying defenses and the sleight of hand of play-action artists like Boomer Esiason, Nix is more than willing to get bleary-eyed in the film room or pick the brain of future Hall of Famer Drew Brees.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2025
Futureproof is a documentary techno-thriller that explores how our obsessive anticipation of the end of the world may be bringing our darkest fantasies to life.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obsessive
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Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
Over the weekend, as online sleuths scoured photos of Trump for evidence of any frailty, the political scientist Ian Bremmer pointed out that obsessive scrutiny of a leader’s health is a hallmark of authoritarian countries.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Just as Manning accelerated his growth through obsessive attention to detail, studying defenses and the sleight of hand of play-action artists like Boomer Esiason, Nix is more than willing to get bleary-eyed in the film room or pick the brain of future Hall of Famer Drew Brees.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2025
Futureproof is a documentary techno-thriller that explores how our obsessive anticipation of the end of the world may be bringing our darkest fantasies to life.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obsessive
Cite this Entry
“Obsessive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obsessive. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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