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

Recent Examples on the Web In the video, Rodrigo sings about being jealous of and obsessed with her partner's ex-girlfriend, dressed in her usual punky all-black against the debutantes and pageant queens. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 22 Mar. 2024 Daisy becomes obsessed and infatuated with Heather Brown, a VHS aerobics instructor. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 She’s obsessed with zinemaking, her glassware collection, and karaoke (if Carole King is on). Quartz Staff, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 Everybody’s obsessed with your wardrobe for the show. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024 The Taylors play beautiful ditzy teen couple Felicia and Willy, who have no arc except being super obsessed with each other (and making out… a lot). Janey Tracey, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024 Sisley also has two products that I’m obsessed with, one is the Nutritive Lip Balm and the other is their Phyto-Lip Twist in nude. Caitie Kelly Gisela Williams Camille Sojit Pejcha Lindsay Talbot Roxanne Fequiere Alexander Lobrano, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Then Vivier became obsessed with these kinds of things like stripes, black and white and zebra. Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2024 Quite why Biden is so obsessed with this course of action is never fully explained. The Editors, National Review, 22 Feb. 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 29 Mar. 2024.

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