Obsess — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

haunt like a ghost; pursue

be preoccupied with something

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/əbsˈɛs/

🇬🇧British English

/ɒbsˈɛs/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɒbsˈɛs/

2 syllables Say it as /əbsˈɛs/.

Examples

Fear of illness haunts her
She is obsessing over her weight

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

ghost haunt

Parts of Speech

verb	haunt like a ghost; pursue “Fear of illness haunts her”
verb	be preoccupied with something “She is obsessing over her weight”

Word Forms

obsession	noun	an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone
ghost	noun	a mental representation of some haunting experience
obsessive	adjective	characterized by or constituting an obsession

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

besessen

verfolgen wie ein Geist; verfolgen

🇫🇷French

obséder

hanter comme un fantôme; poursuivre

🇪🇸Spanish

obsesionar

acechar como un fantasma; buscar

🇮🇹Italian

ossessionare

infestare come un fantasma; perseguire

🇳🇱Dutch

obsederen

achtervolgen als een geest; nastreven

🇵🇹Portuguese

obcecado

assombrar como um fantasma; perseguir

🇷🇺Russian

одержим

преследовать как призрак; преследовать

India

🇮🇳Hindi

दिल में घर कर लेना

भूत की तरह सताना; पाने की कोशिश करना

🇧🇩Bengali

আবেশ

ভূতের মতো আড্ডা দেওয়া; অনুসরণ করা

🇮🇳Tamil

ஆவேசம்

பேய் போல் வேட்டையாடு; தொடர

🇮🇳Telugu

వ్యామోహం

దెయ్యంలా వెంటాడతాయి; కొనసాగించు

🇮🇳Marathi

वेड

भुतासारखा पछाडणे; पाठपुरावा

🇮🇳Gujarati

વળગાડ

એક ભૂત જેવા ત્રાસ; પીછો

🇮🇳Kannada

ಗೀಳು

ಪ್ರೇತದಂತೆ ಕಾಡುತ್ತವೆ; ಮುಂದುವರಿಸಲು

🇮🇳Malayalam

അഭിനിവേശം

ഒരു പ്രേതത്തെപ്പോലെ വേട്ടയാടുക; പിന്തുടരുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਜਨੂੰਨ

ਇੱਕ ਭੂਤ ਵਾਂਗ ਸ਼ਿਕਾਰ; ਪਿੱਛਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

جنون

ایک بھوت کی طرح پریشان؛ تعاقب

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

缠住

像幽灵一样出没；追求

🇯🇵Japanese

執着する

幽霊のように付きまといます。追求する

🇰🇷Korean

들리다

유령처럼 출몰하다; 추구하다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

ám ảnh

ám ảnh như một bóng ma; theo đuổi

🇹🇭Thai

ครอบงำ

หลอกหลอนเหมือนผี ไล่ตาม

🇮🇩Indonesian

menggoda

menghantui seperti hantu; mengejar

🇲🇾Malay

taksub

menghantui seperti hantu; kejar

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

استحواذ

تطارد مثل الشبح. يتحرى

🇮🇷Persian

وسواس داشتن

مثل یک شبح تسخیر شد. دنبال کردن

🇹🇷Turkish

takıntılı olmak

bir hayalet gibi musallat olur; izlemek

🇮🇱Hebrew

לִכפּוֹת

לרדוף כמו רוח רפאים; לִרְדוֹף

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'obsess'?

The primary meaning of 'obsess' is 'haunt like a ghost; pursue'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'obsess' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'obsess' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'obsess' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'obsess' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'obsess' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'obsess' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'obsess' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'obsess' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'obsess' in a professional email?

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Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'obsess' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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