# obsessed

/əbˈsɛst/ (US) · /ɒbsˈɛst/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/obsessed
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. intensely preoccupied

adjective · CEFR B2

thinking about something or someone so much that you cannot focus on anything else.

For teachers: exhibiting an intense, often excessive, preoccupation with a specific topic, person, or emotion.

- He is completely obsessed with that new video game and plays it every night.
- The media became obsessed with the celebrity's private life, ignoring the more significant political developments occurring simultaneously.

Usage: Usually follows the verb 'to be' or 'to become' and takes the preposition 'with'.

### 3. troubled by spirits

adjective · CEFR C2 · Archaic

an old-fashioned way to describe someone influenced by bad spirits or ghosts.

For teachers: historically distinguished from 'possessed'; refers to being influenced or harassed by external evil spirits rather than being internally controlled by them.

- The old stories spoke of a man obsessed by shadows that followed him everywhere.
- In medieval theology, the obsessed individual was seen as a victim of external demonic harassment rather than internal spiritual displacement.

Teaching tip: This sense is rare in modern conversation and is mostly found in historical religious texts or horror literature.

## Examples

- She is completely obsessed with her new hobby.
- He became so obsessed with winning the competition that he stopped seeing his friends and family.
- The detective was famously obsessed with the cold case, spending his retirement years scouring old archives for a single overlooked detail.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.