Dictionary

obsess en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /əbˈsɛs/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Latin obsessus, perfect passive participle of obsideō (“sit on or in, remain, besiege”), from ob- (“before”) + sedeō (“to sit”); see sit, session, etc.; compare assess, possess.

Meanings

1. (qualifier:passive voice; constructed with "with"; passive voice; constructed with "with") To be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion.
   • Some people are obsessed with sports.
   • Over the past few months, RAIL has frequently condemned the Department for Transport for its growing contempt for rail customers - by obsessing on cost, caring nothing for service, and not having the slightest interest in growth. 2023 August 9, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Disinterested and dishonest”, in RAIL, number 989, page 3:
   • The [Isaac] Newton that emerges from the [unpublished] manuscripts is far from the popular image of a rational practitioner of cold and pure reason. The architect of modern science was himself not very modern. He was obsessed with alchemy. 2014 June 21, “Magician’s brain”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8892:
2. (transitive) To dominate the thoughts of someone.
   • Thoughts of her obsess my every waking moment.
3. (colloquial, construed with over, intransitive) To think or talk obsessively about.
   • Stop obsessing over it, will you!

Forms

Deriveds

obsessive · obsessoid · obsessingly · obsessor · obsessee

Relateds

obsession

Synonyms

fixate

Translations (48)

sh опседнути (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · mi whakamaimoa (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · sh opsednuti (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · ru заци́кливаться (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · pl prześladować (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · cmn 着魔 (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · bg завладявам (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · fr obséder (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · eo obsedi (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · lt būti apsėstam (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · cmn 迷戀 /迷恋 (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · fr être obsédé (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · nl rondspoken (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · fi olla koukussa (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · es obsesionar (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · mi whakamaimoa (to think or talk obsessively about) · lt apsėsti (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · cmn 入迷 (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · cmn 迷住 (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · nl obsederen (to think or talk obsessively about) · nl spoken (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · ja 取り付く (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · fi saarnata (to think or talk obsessively about) · cmn 痴迷 (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · it ossessionarsi (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · ru завладе́ть (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · cmn 痴迷 (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · ru заци́клиться (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · it ossessionare (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · da besætte (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · es obsesionarse (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · nl obsederen (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · nn vera hekta på (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · cmn 着魔 (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · cmn 著魔 (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · fi pitää vallassaan (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · fi vaahdota (to think or talk obsessively about) · mi whakamaimoa (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · de besessen sein (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · no være besatt (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · cmn 迷戀 /迷恋 (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · fi hallita (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · cmn 入迷 (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · cmn 著魔 (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · ca obsessionar (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · cmn 迷住 (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion) · ru завладева́ть (to dominate the thoughts of someone) · sv vara besatt (to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion)