Adjacent Words

Compulsive definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COMPULSIVE, a. Having power to compel; driving; forcing; constraining; applying force.
Uniformity of opinions cannot be effected by compulsive measures.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: caused by or suggestive of psychological compulsion; "compulsive drinking"
2: strongly motivated to succeed [syn: compulsive, determined, driven] n
1: a person with a compulsive disposition; someone who feels compelled to do certain things

Merriam Webster's

adjective Date: 1588 1. having power to compel 2. of, relating to, caused by, or suggestive of psychological compulsion or obsession <compulsive actions> <a compulsive gambler> • compulsively adverb • compulsiveness noun • compulsivity noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 compelling. 2 resulting or acting from, or as if from, compulsion (a compulsive gambler). 3 Psychol. resulting or acting from compulsion against one's conscious wishes. 4 irresistible (compulsive entertainment). Derivatives: compulsively adv. compulsiveness n. Etymology: med.L compulsivus (as compel)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Compulsive Com*pul"sive, a. Having power to compel; exercising or applying compulsion. Religion is . . . inconsistent with all compulsive motives. --Sharp.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. You use compulsive to describe people or their behaviour when they cannot stop doing something wrong, harmful, or unnecessary. ...a compulsive liar... He was a compulsive gambler and often heavily in debt. ADJ: ADJ n • compulsively John is compulsively neat and clean, he's terrified of germs. ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj 2. If a book or television programme is compulsive, it is so interesting that you do not want to stop reading or watching it. The BBC series Hot Chefs is compulsive viewing... ADJ • compulsively ...a series of compulsively readable novels. ADV: ADV adj

Moby Thesaurus

accordant, anal, automatic, blind, bourgeois, coactive, coercive, compelling, compulsatory, compulsory, concordant, conditioned, conformist, constrained, constraining, conventional, corresponding, driving, forced, forceful, formalistic, gripping, harmonious, holding, impelling, imperative, imperious, impulsive, in accord, in keeping, in line, in step, instinctive, involuntary, irresistible, kosher, mechanical, obsessing, obsessional, obsessive, orthodox, overwhelming, pedantic, plastic, possessing, precisianistic, preoccupying, pressing, reflex, reflexive, restraining, square, straight, stuffy, traditionalist, unconscious, unintentional, unthinking, unwilled, unwilling, unwitting, uptight, urgent