Meaning & use
obsession
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A thought, interest, or person that fills your mind so much that you cannot stop thinking about it.
Grammar: Countable for a particular case (an obsession with fame); uncountable for the general state.
Patterns
- an obsession with something
- an obsession about something
Her obsession with cleanliness made it hard for her to relax.
His obsession with the game meant he stopped seeing friends.
Collecting stamps had become an obsession.
nouncountablemedicaltechnical
In psychology, a repeated unwanted thought or urge that causes anxiety and is hard to control.
Grammar: Often discussed together with compulsions.
Patterns
- obsessions and compulsions
Doctors treat obsessions that make daily life difficult.
He described his obsessions about germs to the therapist.
Some people with obsessions perform rituals to relieve anxiety.
Word forms
| plural | obsessions |
|---|
Common combinations
- an obsession with
- She has an obsession with winning.
- develop an obsession
- He developed an obsession with chess in his teens.
- unhealthy obsession
- Their unhealthy obsession with social media worried their parents.
- become an obsession
- What started as a hobby soon became an obsession.
- national obsession
- Football is a national obsession in Brazil.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fixation
- Fixation is a stuck focus on one idea and is often more clinical than obsession.
- passion
- Passion is a strong, usually positive interest, whereas obsession suggests it has gone too far.
- mania
- Mania suggests wild excitement or craze, and is more intense and often temporary.
- preoccupation
- Preoccupation is milder, describing something that occupies your thoughts without taking over your life.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: obsession or compulsion?
obsession vs compulsion
A compulsion is an urge to do something, while an obsession is a thought or preoccupation.
Practice
Her ___ with perfect grades kept her up studying every night.
Choose one answer.
Obsession with is the natural pattern for an unhealthy, constant focus. The other options use weaker words or wrong prepositions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “obsession”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.