OBSESSION • FREE-TRANSLATOR.COM • Definition of Obsession

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/əbsˈɛʃən/ Listen

noun

Obsession n.

The act of besieging. (archaic)

The state of being besieged; used specifically of a person beset by a spirit from without. (archaic) "Whether by obsession or possession, I will not determine."

An excessive preoccupation of the thoughts or feelings; the persistent haunting or domination of the mind by a particular desire, idea, or image.

Hence: Any driving motive; a compelling goal; not necessarily implying a negative judgment, as does sense 3; as, the coach was obsessed with winning the state championship

Something that causes an obsession (3).

The state of being obsessed.

See images of 'Obsession'

Etymology of 'Obsession'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Obsession" Quotes from Famous Books

... the Lord will break thee in pieces!" and they came into the meeting-house, in spite of the fierce tithingman, and sat down in other people's seats with their hats on their heads, in ash-covered coats, rocking to and fro and groaning dismally, as if in a mournful obsession. Quaker women managed to obtain admission to the churches, and they jumped up in the quiet Puritan assemblies screaming out, "Parson! thou art an old fool," and, "Parson! thy sermon is too long," and, "Parson! sit down! thee has already said more than thee knows how ...

— Sabbath in Puritan New England • Alice Morse Earle

... "Curious is no name for it! What do we know of the vagaries of the human mind? Three minds and one obsession!" he said with the utmost gentleness. "Three maiden ladies who have lived impeccable lives for far be it from me to say how many years; and now—this! Oh, Aunt Tish! Dear ...

— Tish, The Chronicle of Her Escapades and Excursions • Mary Roberts Rinehart

... groans. A weighty and mournful obsession is stifling him. In his harsh breathing it seems to me that I can hear his heart beating and muttering. Looking at Volpatte, hooded in bandages, and then at the strong man, muscular and full-blooded, with that profound and eternal yearning whose sharpness ...

— Under Fire - The Story of a Squad • Henri Barbusse

... was occupied with the run down to Pueblo and occasional stops for speeches at way-stations, was uneventful save for the growing obsession of Charlie Moore. He was overflowing with pride and importance. That night, in the presence of five thousand people, he was going to reply to the great Jimmy Grayson, and show to them and to him his errors. Mr. Grayson was sound in most things, but there ...

— The Candidate - A Political Romance • Joseph Alexander Altsheler

... from it. He would very willingly have occupied himself with other things, but the anguish which the double action of his mind gave him was such that he could not bear the effort; all he could do was to abandon himself to his obsession. This would ease him only for a while, though, and then he would suffer the misery of trying in ...

— The Daughter of the Storage - And Other Things in Prose and Verse • William Dean Howells

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