as in fascinations
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 obsessions
As the bustling capital of Japan, Tokyo is home to hundreds of museums, ranging from august institutions with endless catalogs of national treasures to niche collections of curious obsessions (Looking at you, Meguro Parasitological Museum).
—
Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2026
For a man who did such fundamental research in surface chemistry and who won the Nobel Prize, there is something almost tragic about the scientific obsessions that took hold of him in his later years.
—Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026
In both novels, the couples disappear to live more peacefully away from the places where the doomed obsessions first began.
—Meg Walters, Glamour, 9 Mar. 2026
Fans being annoying online is nothing new, of course, but Housewives fans have a habit of turning their fun TV obsessions into world wars with lines drawn starkly in the sand.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2026
Shop all of our latest obsessions in one place!
—Sarah Felbin, Allure, 25 Feb. 2026
Yet our love/hate relationship with elitism and luxury remain one of our culture’s most paradoxical obsessions.
—Alexa Beck, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026
Long before TikTok trends and streaming-era obsessions were a thing, The Twilight Saga had teens in a chokehold.
—Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
In Short’s case, the flattening is particularly egregious, because the inchoate facts of her life are shoehorned into the obsessions of amateur sleuths who continue to get those facts wrong.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2026
For a man who did such fundamental research in surface chemistry and who won the Nobel Prize, there is something almost tragic about the scientific obsessions that took hold of him in his later years.
—Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026
In both novels, the couples disappear to live more peacefully away from the places where the doomed obsessions first began.
—Meg Walters, Glamour, 9 Mar. 2026
Fans being annoying online is nothing new, of course, but Housewives fans have a habit of turning their fun TV obsessions into world wars with lines drawn starkly in the sand.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2026
Shop all of our latest obsessions in one place!
—Sarah Felbin, Allure, 25 Feb. 2026
Yet our love/hate relationship with elitism and luxury remain one of our culture’s most paradoxical obsessions.
—Alexa Beck, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026
Long before TikTok trends and streaming-era obsessions were a thing, The Twilight Saga had teens in a chokehold.
—Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
In Short’s case, the flattening is particularly egregious, because the inchoate facts of her life are shoehorned into the obsessions of amateur sleuths who continue to get those facts wrong.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obsessions
Noun
-
Patients affected by the condition targeted by Tuesday's approval experience movement disorders, seizures and other neurological problems that can resemble symptoms of autism.—
MATTHEW PERRONE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Sasaki’s first two starts in Cactus League play featured some problems with command and plenty of hard contact.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Fedorova knows that her enthusiasms will not be shared by everyone.—
Lillian Fishman,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Shriver’s many strange enthusiasms have provided her with a wellspring of ideas, which in the past have produced highly topical novels—about school massacres, obesity, religion, and, yes, the national debt.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Stocks tumbled in February after the latest producer price index showed unexpectedly hot wholesale prices, adding sticky inflation to the list of investors’ recent preoccupations.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
-
This triggers a slippery slope toward apostasy — that is, de-prioritizing mindedness toward church vetted preoccupations.—
Cory Anderson,
STAT,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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As much is clear in the vivid animation, layered jokes, and peculiar fixations — an endearing combination that heightens what could’ve been a forgettable series.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Several policy priorities followed from Miller’s long-standing fixations, such as denying immigrants work authorization while their legal cases were pending and penalizing applicants who used public benefits.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In addition, the creation of the fetishes, with their bits of bone, dirt, plants, and other objects, also unnerved enslavers and colonists.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Jan. 2026
-
The titillating drama explores the complexities of dominant-submissive relationships and fetishes, as Ray gets aroused by making Colin lick his boots, buy his groceries and sleep at the foot of his bed.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Legendary billionaire investor Howard Marks, cofounder and cochairman of Oaktree Capital Management, has spent decades navigating financial manias, sea changes in interest rates, and the shifting pendulums of investor psychology.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
3 Mar. 2026
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The next phase of crypto's growth won't revolve around sleek marketing or speculative manias.—
Annabelle Huang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obsessions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obsessions. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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