as in obsessive
caused by or suggestive of an irresistible urge
his compulsive clowning around can sometimes be annoying
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Recent Examples of compulsive
The young David displayed hypergraphic tendencies—the compulsive need to make a mark, to depict.
—
Mark Rozzo,
Vanity Fair,
12 June 2026
Prozac, the brand name for the drug fluoxetine, is used to treat depression and other mental health conditions, such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and bulimia, according to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).
—
Sam Peters,
CNN Money,
10 June 2026
In nearly three decades of practice, Bain can remember only one dog whose grazing was truly compulsive, and that dog obsessively ate everything, not just plants.
—
Niranjana Rajalakshmi,
Popular Science,
4 June 2026
Nilsson admits to suffering from horror vacui—a fear of empty space, which in her case reads less like a neurotic affliction than like compulsive conviviality.
—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for compulsive
Mark Rozzo,
Vanity Fair,
12 June 2026
Prozac, the brand name for the drug fluoxetine, is used to treat depression and other mental health conditions, such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and bulimia, according to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).
—
Sam Peters,
CNN Money,
10 June 2026
In nearly three decades of practice, Bain can remember only one dog whose grazing was truly compulsive, and that dog obsessively ate everything, not just plants.
—
Niranjana Rajalakshmi,
Popular Science,
4 June 2026
Nilsson admits to suffering from horror vacui—a fear of empty space, which in her case reads less like a neurotic affliction than like compulsive conviviality.
—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for compulsive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compulsive
Adjective
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This highly competent, obsessive duo tumbles into a self-destructive cat-and-mouse dynamic — but who’s the cat and who’s the mouse?
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However, popular culture can’t fully explain why summer camps hold such a nostalgic and almost obsessive place in the nation’s collective consciousness.
Adjective
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July 3 could bring shocks or surprises; just beware of being too risky or impulsive.
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Seems impulsive … Carter wants to be a cop?
Cite this Entry
“Compulsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsive. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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