as in obsessive
caused by or suggestive of an irresistible urge
his compulsive clowning around can sometimes be annoying
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of compulsive
Nilsson admits to suffering from horror vacui—a fear of empty space, which in her case reads less like a neurotic affliction than like compulsive conviviality.
—
Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Platforms will be required to introduce safety-by-design features, including protections against manipulative design that encourages compulsive use, and take action against underage accounts and harmful content.
—ABC News, 1 June 2026
My obsessions surrounding her care, health, and well-being were funneled into a compulsive use of the app.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 22 May 2026
Together, those findings point to a job search environment where expectations are high, confidence is fragile and pressure can push candidates toward compulsive applying.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for compulsive
Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Platforms will be required to introduce safety-by-design features, including protections against manipulative design that encourages compulsive use, and take action against underage accounts and harmful content.
—ABC News, 1 June 2026
My obsessions surrounding her care, health, and well-being were funneled into a compulsive use of the app.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 22 May 2026
Together, those findings point to a job search environment where expectations are high, confidence is fragile and pressure can push candidates toward compulsive applying.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for compulsive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compulsive
Adjective
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Gene Hackman — who developed new shades of menace and gravitas with each passing year — turns in a career-best performance as the determined and obsessive Det.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
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The obsessive insect scientist spent entirely too much of his career and a not-insignificant amount of taxpayer money watching screwworms doing the wild thing.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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But the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until a person reaches their mid-to-late 20s, making young people more susceptible to impulsive behavior while gambling.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
18 June 2026
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The underlying songwriting is impulsive, but many tracks adopt a deliberately sedate mood or sort through dense clusters of cut-up loops, and Alfa’s spatialization gives the album a pallor that can resemble brain fog.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compulsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsive. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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