Word
obsess
Phoneticsob·sess, stress on the second syllable
US/əbˈsɛs/
UK/ɒbsˈɛs/
Definitions
01to think about constantly
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal
v. to think or talk about something all the time because you are very interested in it.
v. to be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion to a degree that excludes other thoughts. Often used intransitively with 'about' or 'over'.
日本語:執着する※
“He started to obsess about his weight after his doctor mentioned it.”
“It is easy to obsess over minor details when you are under a lot of pressure to succeed.”
Synonyms
02to dominate someone's mind
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. when a thought or worry stays in your mind and you cannot stop thinking about it.
v. to preoccupy or dominate the thoughts of someone intensely. In this sense, the subject is the thought or idea, and the person is the object.
“The fear of failing the exam began to obsess her every night.”
“The possibility of a security breach began to obsess the lead engineer, leading to several sleepless nights of testing.”
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “obsess” in context.
Verb
01. obsess about the past
“It is not healthy to obsess about the past when you should be looking toward the future.”
verb + prep + noun
02. obsess over details
“He tends to obsess over minor details instead of focusing on the project's overall goal.”
verb + prep + noun
Preposition
03. tendency to obsess
“His tendency to obsess makes him a very thorough, albeit slow, researcher.”
noun + infinitive
Adverb
04. continually obsess over weight
“Many young athletes continually obsess over their weight due to strict competition standards.”
adv + verb + prep + noun
05. obsessively obsess over perfection
“The artist would obsessively obsess over perfection, often repainting the same canvas for weeks.”
adv + verb + prep + noun
06. secretly obsess about success
“She would secretly obsess about her professional success while appearing relaxed to her peers.”
adv + verb + prep + noun
Usage
Commonly used as an intransitive verb followed by the prepositions 'over' or 'about'.
Pitfall
he obsesses the details
he obsesses over the details
When used to mean 'thinking too much about something', the verb is usually intransitive and requires 'over' or 'about' before the object.
Real-World Examples
“He's getting a divorce'."
Alongside scenes where Guardiola obsesses over tactics, there are many where he gives candid speeches and berates his team.” “As we obsess over the tariff issue, the Americans are barely noticing.” Etymology
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/obsess
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0