obsession

noun

äb-ˈse-shən How to pronounce obsession (audio)
Definition of obsessionnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obsession The pursuit of privacy The obsession with privacy is a massive part of the problem. — Edward Russell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026 And, perhaps most interestingly, this obsession is nothing new. — Michael Kimmel, Time, 15 Aug. 2026 My longtime podcast obsession is Omnibus, where Ken Jennings and John Roderick try to talk about an esoteric topic but mostly stray and ramble in the best way possible. — David Pierce, The Verge, 15 Aug. 2026 Bryce told Kennedy News and Media that an obsession with lip and cheek filler, thick fake eyelashes and a breast enlargement led her to spend £22,000 (around $30,000) on her appearance. — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for obsession
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obsession
  1. problem
  2. fascination
  3. preoccupation
  4. fixation
  5. fetish
  6. mania
  7. enthusiasm
Noun
  • The underlying pathology begins years before symptoms become apparent, and once symptomatic disease develops, cognitive problems generally continue to progress.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Jung provides discreet, ever-changing services for powerful clients, solving problems with meticulous planning and quiet efficiency.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of problem
Noun
  • Stapley’s own fascination with the art of the con began after her mother was conned out of her life savings.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Show creator Quinn Shephard told Netflix’s Tudum that her love for Y2K teen movies and erotic thrillers like Carrie, Jennifer’s Body and Heavenly Creatures, as well as her fascination with the Salem witch trials, inspired her to write The Body.
    — Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of fascination
Noun
  • Washington’s preoccupation with its own domestic politics, inattention to the region’s nuances, and inflated fears of Chinese and Russian advances all made the United States an easy mark for manipulative local powers.
    — MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Vaz felt a resonance with the preoccupations with land, people and colonialism that have defined her filmography to this point.
    — Dylan Adamson, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of preoccupation
Noun
  • Relevant features may include a need for recognition, black-and-white moral reasoning, limited empathy and sustained fixation.
    — Control Risks, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Recent developments have made new an old idea that emerged among nineteenth-century intellectuals in tsarist Russia who rebelled against the elite fixation with the West.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of fixation
Noun
  • Tupper’s Mick, at the mercy of his brittle fetishes, may be the most believable of this quartet.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • The screen is big, the image is sharp and bright, but Nolan’s visual compositions are dull—just pictures of actors acting, without style or poetry—and his fetish for size is just bombast and vanity.
    — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Definition of fetish
Noun
  • Postpartum psychosis is a rare but serious medical emergency characterized by severe, rapid onset psychiatric episodes such as mania, depression, delusions or hallucinations.
    — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Symptoms include anxiety, hypervigilance, confusion and mania, and taking on activities that might be considered strange.
    — Deborah Becker, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of mania
Noun
  • Wang’s remarks underscore the gap between investor enthusiasm for humanoid robots and their current commercial capabilities.
    — Anniek Bao,Jenni Reid,Jenny Lee, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Alice presents two ideas, one delivered without any enthusiasm, the other dropped as a joke.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of enthusiasm

Browse Nearby Words

obsessing (over)
obsession
obsessional
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Obsession.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obsession. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on obsession

Nglish: Translation of obsession for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about obsession

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All