English · Word Candidate

obsessed

/əbˈsɛst/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Intensely preoccupied with or by a given topic or emotion; driven by a specified obsession.

Adjective

Examples

What was starting to unsettle him, to frighten him, was the idea that Merry was less horrified now than curious, and soon he himself became obsessed, though not, like her, by the self-immolators in Vietnam but by the change of demeanor of his eleven-year-old.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Influenced or controlled by evil spirits, but less than possessed in that the spirits do not actually reside in the victim.

Adjective

Examples

Believing that an evil spirit is trying to obsess one is a dangerous belief, and when one comes to believe he is obsessed by an evil spirit, though there is not an evil spirit within a thousand miles of him, he will have all the symptoms.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “obsessed” mean?

Intensely preoccupied with or by a given topic or emotion; driven by a specified obsession.

Is “obsessed” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.