Word
OCD
Phoneticsocd
Definitions
01mental health condition
n. Stands for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. A condition where someone has repetitive thoughts and feels they must perform certain tasks to feel safe.
n. Abbreviation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. A clinical anxiety disorder characterized by persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive mental or physical acts (compulsions).
“He sought therapy to help manage his OCD and reduce his anxiety.”
“Clinical OCD involves significant distress and time-consuming rituals that interfere with a person's ability to maintain a normal daily routine.”
Technical
Usage
Usually treated as an uncountable noun in medical contexts.
02obsessive or neat
adj. Used to describe someone who is extremely organized or worried about small details.
adj. Used figuratively to describe a person who is excessively orderly, meticulous, or preoccupied with minor details.
“I am a bit OCD about keeping my desk perfectly clean.”
“The project manager was famously OCD about formatting, insisting that every bullet point in the report be perfectly aligned.”
Informal
Pitfall
He has very OCD.
He is very OCD.
When using the term as a description of a person's personality rather than the medical condition, it functions as an adjective.
Teaching tip
This informal use is common but can be considered offensive by people who have the actual medical condition, as it trivializes a serious illness.
Synonyms
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/ocd