as in problem
something about which one is constantly thinking or concerned
her latest obsession is a movie star who she thinks is very handsome
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Recent Examples of obsession
America’s obsession with betting has created havoc for NBA players, who have faced a torrent of abuse from fans and spoken out publicly about it.
—
Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
The track is focused but ruminative, mirroring the circular way thoughts orbit an obsession.
—Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Here, three experts—Emily English (@EmTheNutritionist), ALO Wellness Club pilates instructor Bianca Wise, and Rachel Butcher, head of nutrition at Third Space—break down the obsession with macros, and explain whether there is a healthy way to track them.
—Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2026
Prosecutors argue Colin Gray enabled the shooting by providing his son a firearm despite warnings about violent threats and obsession with school shooters.
—Jeff Martin, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obsession
Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
The track is focused but ruminative, mirroring the circular way thoughts orbit an obsession.
—Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Here, three experts—Emily English (@EmTheNutritionist), ALO Wellness Club pilates instructor Bianca Wise, and Rachel Butcher, head of nutrition at Third Space—break down the obsession with macros, and explain whether there is a healthy way to track them.
—Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2026
Prosecutors argue Colin Gray enabled the shooting by providing his son a firearm despite warnings about violent threats and obsession with school shooters.
—Jeff Martin, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obsession
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obsession
Noun
-
Meta and other tech firms have argued there’s no conclusive evidence linking social media to addiction or mental health problems.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
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Once back at the VAB, engineers will need to partially disassemble it to inspect things like filters, valves, and connection plates to find the problem.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The fascination with Kornacki's attire began after the 2020 election.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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An English professor at Harvard and the author of two acclaimed novels, The Old Drift (2019) and The Furrows (2022), Serpell combines a professorial breadth of reference and a novelist’s fascination with the mechanics of literature.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Greenland appears to have been a lifelong preoccupation of Adolf Hitler’s.—
Timothy W. Ryback,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
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This and other information about U2’s current projects and preoccupations is found in a 54-page revival of the group’s old fanzine, Propaganda, which is available digitally as well as in print in some record shops.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Cristian’s fixation on winning a vintage two-bit arcade game on the sidewalk not far from Olga’s home is a romantic touch that turns, briefly, surreal as Cristian mentally threads his experience with the game into his experience with his now certainly dying mother.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2026
-
And then there’s the council’s bizarre fixation on censoring library books.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Imelda Marcos’ fetish for fiendishly expensive shoes was a running gag in the 1980s.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Mikomi sees images generated by Grok of her wearing specific fetish outfits, or her body contorted or placed in strange contexts.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The mania for finding FIFA World Cup tickets and accommodations continues.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Feb. 2026
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The criminal mania of cult leader and prolific psychedelic user Charles Manson, who murdered seven people in 1969, is often cited by researchers as an example of the worst possible outcome of psychedelic use untempered by an ego-deflating ritual process.—
Erica Rex,
STAT,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This year, with a bumper crop of the strange parrot’s favorite berries prompting a rare enthusiasm for mating, those working to save the birds hope for a record number of chicks in February, which would move the kakapo closer to defying what was not long ago believed to be certain extinction.—
Charlotte Graham-McLay,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
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That includes the films' cast, who have shared near-unanimous enthusiasm at the prospect of returning for a Mamma Mia 3.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obsession.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obsession. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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