obsessed

adjective

ob·​sessed əb-ˈsest How to pronounce obsessed (audio)
äb-
: preoccupied with or haunted by some idea, interest, etc. : being in a state of obsession
This was because on vacations my father was a man obsessed.Bill Bryson
Gatsby the obsessed lover, erecting an empire and stringing it with lights to impress a girl …Claudia Roth Pierpont
She was at once obsessed with being a good person and brutal to the people who worked for her.Rachel Abramowitz
But it seems we're becoming so obsessed with healthy eating, we are embarking on up to three different diets a year.Unity Blott
sometimes used in combination
a sports-obsessed teenager
obsessedly
əb-ˈse-səd-lē How to pronounce obsessed (audio)
-ˈsest-lē
äb-
adverb
"He wants her to be free of him and she doesn't know that she is obsessedly in love with him." Anthony Hopkins

Examples of obsessed in a Sentence

the youngster was so obsessed with video games that he had little interest in playing outside
Recent Examples on the Web The drums became a fixture in their basement after Rose attended a Bruce Springsteen concert and became obsessed with making her own music. Nancy Kruh, Peoplemag, 10 May 2024 Other great reads Rebecca Schaeffer’s murder by an obsessed fan led to anti-stalking laws. Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024 Light Utilitech Cargo Pocket High-rise Pant $148 $79 Speaking of great travel pants, I’m obsessed with these cargo pants. Kristine Thomason, Travel + Leisure, 5 May 2024 When Stranger Things premiered on Netflix in 2016, fans became obsessed with the ‘80s nostalgia and the mystical twists and turns. Madeline Cisneros, EW.com, 5 May 2024 Your viewing history Are you obsessed with steamy Twilight highlight reels or home repair videos? New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024 My son is a freshman in high school and has recently become obsessed with Nerf and airsoft guns. Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2024 Dwight became obsessed with the sky as a child, during late-night walks with his mother near the old Fairfax Municipal Airport, learning about the planets and constellations. J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2024 She’s obsessed with zinemaking, depression glass, and Carole King karaoke. Quartz Staff, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obsessed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of obsessed was in 1888

Dictionary Entries Near obsessed

Cite this Entry

“Obsessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obsessed. Accessed 14 May. 2024.

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