as in obsessive
caused by or suggestive of an irresistible urge
his compulsive clowning around can sometimes be annoying
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Recent Examples of compulsive
But if the humor doesn’t land as solidly as before, the more serious subplots, centered on Mo’s feelings of disconnection from his roots and Yusra’s compulsive doomscrolling about violence in her native Palestine, carry the show.
—
Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2025
Like the compulsive twisting of a pencil into a sharpener, Khatami tightens the narrative rope to excruciating effect with a series of ominous foreshadowings.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025
There's a young friend who’s like a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker and the most uppity girl in town.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 15 Jan. 2025
The gambling industry is aware of the problem of compulsive gambling habits.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for compulsive 
Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2025
Like the compulsive twisting of a pencil into a sharpener, Khatami tightens the narrative rope to excruciating effect with a series of ominous foreshadowings.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025
There's a young friend who’s like a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker and the most uppity girl in town.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 15 Jan. 2025
The gambling industry is aware of the problem of compulsive gambling habits.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for compulsive
Thesaurus Entries Near compulsive
Cite this Entry
“Compulsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsive. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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