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
Burse points out that ignoring pain or sickness to stick to a workout plan is a red flag for compulsive behavior.
—
Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Jack’s hunt for the treasure is seen as compulsive, almost an addiction, which triggered conflicting emotions in the filmmaker.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 Mar. 2025
This has driven the island to increase defense spending in recent years and extend compulsive military service to one year from four months.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
And with conditions like OCD, suppressing anxiety can lead to compulsive behaviors—such as repeating certain phrases or avoiding specific people or places—in an attempt to neutralize fear, which often backfires and worsens it.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compulsive
Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Jack’s hunt for the treasure is seen as compulsive, almost an addiction, which triggered conflicting emotions in the filmmaker.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 Mar. 2025
This has driven the island to increase defense spending in recent years and extend compulsive military service to one year from four months.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
And with conditions like OCD, suppressing anxiety can lead to compulsive behaviors—such as repeating certain phrases or avoiding specific people or places—in an attempt to neutralize fear, which often backfires and worsens it.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compulsive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compulsive
Adjective
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But the obsessive, granular restaurant news era arguably starts when Grub Street debuts in 2006 and its editor, Josh Ozersky, aims to post news every hour.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
7 May 2025
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Brian by Jeremy Cooper Brian is a thirtysomething council worker in London who has always led a solitary life, one marked by an obsessive adherence to routine.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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Research shows that suicide tends to be a fairly impulsive act during short-term crises.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
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Research shows that those who score higher in emotional intelligence are less impulsive and better able to persist through difficult tasks.—
Kevin Kruse,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compulsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsive. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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