obsessed

adjective

ob·​sessed əb-ˈsest 

äb-

: preoccupied with or haunted by some idea, interest, etc. : being in a state of obsession

This was because on vacations my father was a man obsessed. His principal obsession was trying to economize.

—Bill Bryson

Gatsby the obsessed lover, erecting an empire and stringing it with lights to impress a girl …

—Claudia Roth Pierpont

She was at once obsessed with being a good person and brutal to the people who worked for her.

—Rachel Abramowitz

But it seems we're becoming so obsessed with healthy eating, we are embarking on up to three different diets a year.

—Unity Blott

—sometimes used in combination

a sports-obsessed teenager

obsessedly

əb-ˈse-səd-lē 

-ˈsest-lē, 

äb-

adverb

"He wants her to be free of him and she doesn't know that she is obsessedly in love with him."

—Anthony Hopkins

Synonyms of obsessed

• worried
• concerned
• preoccupied
• happy
• anxious

Examples of obsessed in a Sentence

the youngster was so obsessed with video games that he had little interest in playing outside

Recent Examples on the Web

Although my daughter became obsessed with Full House years ago, her experience was radically different from mine. — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 31 July 2026

In addition to these skincare classics, CVS also carries the beauty tools we’re all obsessed with, from gua sha stones to red light therapy devices. — Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 31 July 2026

West In the West, five states couldn’t be more obsessed with rocky road—a blend of chocolate, marshmallows, and nuts. — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 July 2026

In the film, Scott’s Tom Kennedy long ago cut ties with his father Pete Willis (De Niro), mostly because the former cop was way too obsessed with his work. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of obsess

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing obsessed

• self-obsessed

Rhymes for obsessed

• acquiesced
• coalesced
• dispossessed
• manifest
• overdressed
• overstressed
• prepossessed
• reassessed
• reinvest
• repossessed
• unaddressed
• uncompressed