INDEX:
1. an obsession about someone or something
2. to have an obsession
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ INTERESTED
↑ THINK
↑ ADDICTED
↑ LOVE
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1. an obsession about someone or something
▷ obsession /əbˈseʃ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
an unreasonably strong and continuous interest in someone or something, so that you cannot stop thinking about them and your behaviour is seriously affected :
become an obsession/turn into an obsession
▪ Julia’s desire to stay slim has become an obsession.
obsession with/for
▪ Picasso’s obsession with death and sickness greatly influenced his work.
▪ I knew that if I wasn’t careful, my obsession for her could destroy me.
have an obsession
▪ Bowman has a dangerous obsession with speed.
▷ mania /ˈmeɪniə/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a very strong desire for something or interest in something, especially one that affects a lot of people at the same time :
mania for
▪ A mania for a game called Nibs ran through the school.
▪ I had a mania for cleanliness, and once made him stay in all day while I washed all his clothes.
religious/gambling etc mania
▪ Aunt Edna was scathing about her cousin’s religious mania.
▷ fixation /fɪkˈseɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
an unnaturally strong interest in or love for someone or something :
fixation with/on
▪ our fixation with diet and fitness
▪ The killing was the result of Dougherty’s four year fixation with a co-worker who would not date him.
▷ fascination /ˌfæsɪˈneɪʃ ə n, ˌfæsəˈneɪʃ ə n/ [singular noun]
a very strong and unusual interest in a particular person, subject, or type of thing :
fascination with/for
▪ What’s your sudden fascination with my boyfriend?
▪ Mark has a fascination for all things electrical.
▷ fetish /ˈfetɪʃ, ˈfiː-/ [countable noun]
an extremely strong and unreasonable interest in something :
fetish for
▪ Americans seem to have a fetish for watering their golf courses.
a foot/hair/animal etc fetish
▪ She told stories about the band’s alcoholic binges, their arrests on drug charges, and even about one member’s foot fetish.
▷ preoccupation /priːˌɒkjɑˈpeɪʃ ə nǁ-ˌɑːk-/ [singular noun]
a strong interest in one thing, usually because you are worried about it, which means that you cannot pay attention to other things :
preoccupation with
▪ Georgina’s preoccupation with her appearance takes up most of her time.
▪ Writing a will is not evidence of a morbid preoccupation with death.
2. to have an obsession
▷ have an obsession with/for /hæv ən əbˈseʃ ə n wɪð, fɔːʳ/ [verb phrase]
▪ My father always said I had an unhealthy obsession for spotty pop bands.
▪ Our French teacher had a neurotic obsession with correct punctuation.
▷ obsessed /əbˈsest/ [adjective]
someone who is obsessed, has an obsession about someone or something :
▪ Madonna was being stalked by an obsessed fan.
obsessed by/with/about
▪ She was obsessed by Giles
▪ He became obsessed in his old age with what to do with his immense wealth.
▪ People are generally less obsessed about getting a tan than they used to be.
▷ obsessive /əbˈsesɪv/ [adjective]
having an unreasonably strong and continuous interest in someone or something, so that you cannot stop thinking about them and your behaviour is seriously affected :
▪ She’s got this obsessive fear of losing control, so she never shows her emotions.
▪ Deep anxiety can cause obsessive behaviour.
obsessive about
▪ I try to look after my body as best I can, but I’m not obsessive about it.
▷ can’t get somebody/something out of your mind /ˌkɑːnt get somebody/something aʊt əv jɔːʳ ˈmaɪndǁˌkænt-/ [verb phrase]
to be unable to stop thinking about someone or something, even when you do not want to think about them :
▪ Since the divorce, he hadn’t been able to get Bonniet out of his mind.
▪ She knew the story wasn’t true, but she couldn’t get it out of her mind.
▷ have a thing about /hæv ə ˈθɪŋ əbaʊt/ [verb phrase not in progressive] informal
to have an unreasonably strong interest in, liking for, or fear of something :
▪ Joanne’s got a thing about her hair. She’s always changing the style.
▪ The Captain had a thing about neat handwriting; in fact he couldn’t bear to look at anything that wasn’t beautifully written.
▷ obsess /əbˈses/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
if something obsesses someone, or they obsess about it, they think about it all the time and cannot think about anything else :
▪ The idea that she was being punished began to obsess her.
obsess about
▪ Some women obsess about their thighs and stomachs.
▷ have a one-track mind /hæv ə ˌwʌn træk ˈmaɪnd/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be continuously thinking about one subject so that you often talk about it when there is no reason to :
▪ Boys of that age have a one track mind. All they think about is sex.
▷ have an unhealthy interest in /hæv ən ʌnˌhelθi ˈɪntrə̇st ɪn/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to have a strong and unnatural interest in something, so that you think about it a lot :
▪ As a child, Quinlan had an unhealthy interest in death.