ENGLISH
REFERENCE

obsess

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //əbˈsɛs// UK //ɒbsˈɛs// ob·sess Informal

v. to think about one person or thing all the time in a way that is not healthy. You use this when someone cannot stop focusing on a specific detail or hobby.

v. to preoccupy the mind of someone excessively or to be constantly thinking about something. Often used intransitively with 'over' or 'about' to describe a fixation.


SIMPLE

She tends to obsess over every small mistake she makes.

CONTEXTUAL

It is easy to obsess about social media likes, but they rarely reflect real-world success.

COMPLEX

While it is helpful to be detail-oriented, you should not obsess over minor aesthetic choices at the expense of the project's overall functionality.

Synonyms
Origin

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

Usage

Commonly used as an intransitive verb followed by the prepositions 'over' or 'about'.

Pitfall

he obsesses the detailshe obsesses over the detailsWhen used to mean 'thinking too much about something', the verb is usually intransitive and requires 'over' or 'about' before the object.

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