as in impulsive
caused by or suggestive of an irresistible urge
intrigued by the man's obsessive counting of everyday objects
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Recent Examples of obsessive
All told, City Limits is an exercise in obsessive passion and the meticulous pursuit of quality.
—
Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
Paxton’s interest in Paul’s plight was bizarre, obsessive and so far beyond normal operations at the attorney general’s office that the agency’s top officials struggled to convey their concerns during the hourslong meeting with two FBI agents.
—Kimberly Ross, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Although Harold is not literary fiction’s first obsessive ruminator, what makes Muscle Man feel so plugged into the moment is how common the predicament feels.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Psychologists distinguish between obsessive and harmonious passion.
—Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obsessive
Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
Paxton’s interest in Paul’s plight was bizarre, obsessive and so far beyond normal operations at the attorney general’s office that the agency’s top officials struggled to convey their concerns during the hourslong meeting with two FBI agents.
—Kimberly Ross, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Although Harold is not literary fiction’s first obsessive ruminator, what makes Muscle Man feel so plugged into the moment is how common the predicament feels.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Psychologists distinguish between obsessive and harmonious passion.
—Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obsessive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obsessive
Adjective
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Even his mistake for Damsgaard’s opener brought more of a stunned silence than exasperated groans or impulsive anger from the locals.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
22 Sep. 2025
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Single-minded and fairly humorless, Chappellet is impelled but seldom impulsive.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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To identify workaholics, the researchers used established psychological surveys that measure both excessive and compulsive working tendencies.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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These states often trigger compulsive scrolling or posting, not because of the content itself, but because of the emotional tension underneath.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obsessive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obsessive. Accessed 27 Sep. 2025.
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