obsession

noun

ob·​ses·​sion äb-ˈse-shən 

əb-

1

: a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling

broadly : compelling motivation

an obsession with profits

has an obsession with gambling

2

: something that causes an obsession

Losing weight can be an obsession that results in the avoidance of certain foods.

obsessional

äb-ˈse-sh(ə-)nəl 

əb-

adjective

obsessionally adverb

Synonyms

• fetish
• fetich
• fixation
• idée fixe
• mania
• preoccupation
• prepossession

Examples of obsession in a Sentence

He was fascinated by the actress and tracking her every move had become an obsession.

She has an obsession about cleanliness.

Her concern about cleanliness approaches the level of obsession.

Money has become an obsession for him.

Recent Examples on the Web

The obsession is setting records at the same rate as national hero Shohei Ohtani himself. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024

Then, in 2009, the premiere of the ABC sitcom The Middle reminded viewers of the goose obsession that took the Upper Ohio River Valley by storm. —Isabella Milano, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2024

Get into the Halloween spirit with our best stories on the holiday, which include a look into the Salem witch trials and the obsession with Satanism in nineteenth-century France. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 28 Oct. 2024

But there's a good chance every bite of the nation’s orange obsession has its origins in the same spot: Morton, a sleepy hollow outside Peoria, Illinois that touts itself as the pumpkin capital of the world. —John Riley, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "control of a person by an evil spirit," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, "siege, condition of a person possessed by a demon," borrowed from Latin obsessiōn, obsessiō "act of besieging, blockade" (Late Latin, "possession by a demon"), from obsidēre "to occupy, besiege, beset" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at obsess

Note: See note at obsess.

First Known Use

1680, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

obsession

noun

ob·​ses·​sion äb-ˈsesh-ən 

əb-

: a disturbing concern with an idea or feeling that cannot be put out of mind even when it is seen to be unreasonable

also : such a thought or feeling

Medical Definition

obsession

noun

ob·​ses·​sion äb-ˈsesh-ən, əb- 

: a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling

also : something that causes such preoccupation compare compulsion, phobia

obsessional

-ˈsesh-nəl, -ən-ᵊl 

adjective