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
The app is not designed for compulsive user engagement, the company never sells user data, and there are no comments sections.
—
Aarushi Bhandari, The Conversation, 14 July 2025
These systems are built on compulsive design, emotional triggers and algorithmic reinforcement.
—Mira Tzur, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Interestingly, when their microbiota samples were then transferred into the guts of healthy mice, these animals also developed the same compulsive eating behaviors.
—New Atlas, 1 July 2025
Obsessive compulsive disorder has many unknowns, including what causes it, why symptoms can differ so much between people, how medication and therapy for it actually work, and why treatment is effective for some people and not for others.
—Carol Mathews, The Conversation, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for compulsive
Aarushi Bhandari, The Conversation, 14 July 2025
These systems are built on compulsive design, emotional triggers and algorithmic reinforcement.
—Mira Tzur, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Interestingly, when their microbiota samples were then transferred into the guts of healthy mice, these animals also developed the same compulsive eating behaviors.
—New Atlas, 1 July 2025
Obsessive compulsive disorder has many unknowns, including what causes it, why symptoms can differ so much between people, how medication and therapy for it actually work, and why treatment is effective for some people and not for others.
—Carol Mathews, The Conversation, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for compulsive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compulsive
Adjective
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Known for his signature style and obsessive attention to detail, Anderson’s work is distinctive, imaginative, and—above all—meticulous.—
Brett Braley,
Robb Report,
30 July 2025
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So, just stay in the moment, take care of the little things, be consistent with my process, and be obsessive with my process, and make sure nothing's non-negotiable.—
Justin Grasso,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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The vaunting acclaim the retrospective elicited seems largely unwarranted, though in several brilliant sequences scattered throughout his work, the unruly Rozier achieved an impulsive kind of mastery.—
James Quandt,
The New York Review of Books,
31 July 2025
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Jena Malone played the Bennets’ youngest daughter, Lydia Bennet, whose impulsive behavior threatens the family’s reputation.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compulsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsive. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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