Synonyms of compulsive

compulsive

adjective

kəm-ˈpəl-siv 

as in obsessive

caused by or suggestive of an irresistible urge

his compulsive clowning around can sometimes be annoying

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obsessive
• impulsive
• obsessional
• driven
• spontaneous
• automatic
• instinctive
• uncontrollable
• besetting
• irrepressible
• reflex
• mechanical
• unconscious
• unpredictable
• unthinking
• involuntary
• conditioned
• knee-jerk
• whimsical
• capricious
• unwitting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• voluntary
• willful
• manageable
• controllable
• unforced
• resistible

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of compulsive

People with eating disorders may exhibit compulsive behaviors around both exercise and eating, including working out for multiple hours every day and carefully calculating every aspect of their diet. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

But there’s a new, almost compulsive willingness to buy more, and to do so more frequently in order to keep up with what’s buzzy (exosomes! — Elizabeth Siegel, Allure, 2 Oct. 2026

Symptoms include compulsive behavior, loss of vocabulary and stiff movements or loss of balance. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026

Casinos offer voluntary self-exclusion programs for compulsive gamblers; birth plans allow devotees of natural labor to deny their future selves an epidural. — Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026