obsessive

[uh b-ses-iv] /əbˈsɛs ɪv/

adjective

being, pertaining to, or resembling an obsession:

an obsessive fear of illness.

causing an obsession.

excessive, especially extremely so.

noun

someone who has an obsession or obsessions; a person who thinks or behaves in an obsessive manner.

Origin

Related forms

obsessively, adverb

obsessiveness, noun

nonobsessive, adjective

nonobsessively, adverb

nonobsessiveness, noun

Examples from the web for obsessive

My point is not that dogged persistence and obsessive research productivity eventually pay off.
obsessive people are often difficult to work with, self absorbed and by the sound of things too tired to function properly.
Some scientists also suspect there might be physiological reasons for obsessive tanning, she said.
At last a glimpse of a forest dance floor reveals a weird, obsessive performance.
For anyone involved in any kind of craft you know how obsessive it can get.
For this reason, you should probably be obsessive about backup.
But his obsessive digging has turned up valuable information.
The tenure process encourages paranoia and incites obsessive suspicion.
For less obsessive fans, the books are still an important memory.
Others wonder if the obsessive pursuit of happiness is itself making people miserable.

British Dictionary definitions for obsessive

/əbˈsɛsɪv/

adjective

(psychiatry) motivated by a persistent overriding idea or impulse, often associated with anxiety and mental illness

continually preoccupied with a particular activity, person, or thing

noun

(psychiatry) a person subject to obsession

a person who is continually preoccupied with a particular activity, person, or thing

Derived Forms

obsessively, adverb
obsessiveness, noun

Word Origin and History for obsessive

adj.

1911, from obsess + -ive. Related: Obsessively. Obsessive-compulsive is attested from 1927.

obsessive in Medicine

obsessive ob·ses·sive (əb-sěs'ĭv, ŏb-)
adj.
Of, characteristic of, or causing an obsession.

ob·ses'sive n.
ob·ses'sive·ness n.