noun
obsession
ub-SESH-un/əbˈseʃn/
An intense, persistent preoccupation with someone or something.
The woman's obsession with the key distracts her from the open book.
Etymology
To “sit against” something became to besiege it. Obsession transferred this image of a siege to something that engrosses the mind, eventually an idea that intrudes against a person's will.
In context
It tells us Nikki's obsession wasn't only emotional. It was practical. She was keeping tabs on him.
More examples
- Collecting rare maps became her obsession.
- The novel explores an obsession that grows over years.
- He recognized that his interest had become an obsession.
Forms
obsession · obsessions
obsessive adjective — marked by persistent preoccupation
Similar words
- fixation
- A persistent focus that is hard to shift.
- preoccupation
- Something occupying attention, not necessarily excessively.