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compulsive

[kuhm-puhl-siv] Origin

com·pul·sive

[kuhm-puhl-siv]
adjective
1.
compelling; compulsory.
2.
Psychology.
a.
pertaining to, characterized by, or involving compulsion: a compulsive desire to cry.
b.
governed by an obsessive need to conform, be scrupulous, etc., coupled with an inability to express positive emotions.
noun
3.
Psychology. a person whose behavior is governed by a compulsion.

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Compulsive is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.

Origin:
1595–1605; obsolete compulse v. (< Latin compuls(us), past participle of compellere; see compulsion) + -ive

com·pul·sive·ly, adverb
com·pul·sive·ness, com·pul·siv·i·ty [kuhm-puhl-siv-i-tee, kom-puhl-] , noun
non·com·pul·sive, adjective
non·com·pul·sive·ly, adverb
qua·si-com·pul·sive, adjective
EXPAND
qua·si-com·pul·sive·ly, adverb
un·com·pul·sive, adjective
un·com·pul·sive·ly, adverb
COLLAPSE

compulsive, impulsive, impetuous (see synonym note at impetuous).
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
compulsive (kəmˈpʌlsɪv)
 
adj
1.  relating to or involving compulsion
 
n
2.  psychiatry an individual who is subject to a psychological compulsion
 
com'pulsively
 
adv
 
com'pulsiveness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

compulsive
c.1600, from L. *compulsivus, from pp. stem of compellere (see compel). Psychological sense is from 1902. As a noun, attested from 1630s; psychological sense from 1957. Related: compulsively (c.1600).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

compulsive com·pul·sive (kəm-pŭl'sĭv)
adj.
Caused or conditioned by compulsion or obsession. n.
A person with behavior patterns governed by a compulsion.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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