| / English Dictionary |
COMPULSIVE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A person with a compulsive disposition; someone who feels compelled to do certain things
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("compulsive" is a kind of...):
individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "compulsive"):
control freak (someone with a compulsive desire to exert control over situations and people)
exhibitionist; flasher (someone with a compulsive desire to expose the genitals)
perfectionist (a person who is displeased by anything that does not meet very high standards)
workaholic (person with a compulsive need to work)
Derivation:
compulsion (an irrational motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions, even against your will)
compulsive (strongly motivated to succeed)
compulsive (caused by or suggestive of psychological compulsion)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Strongly motivated to succeed
Synonyms:
compulsive; determined; driven
Classified under:
Similar:
ambitious (having a strong desire for success or achievement)
Derivation:
compulsive (a person with a compulsive disposition; someone who feels compelled to do certain things)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Caused by or suggestive of psychological compulsion
Example:
compulsive drinking
Classified under:
Similar:
neurotic; psychoneurotic (affected with emotional disorder)
Derivation:
compulsion (an urge to do or say something that might be better left undone or unsaid)
compulsion (an irrational motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions, even against your will)
compulsive (a person with a compulsive disposition; someone who feels compelled to do certain things)
compulsiveness; compulsivity (the trait of acting compulsively)
Context examples:
Having an obsessive-compulsive disorder may cause a person to have trouble carrying out daily activities.
(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, NCI Dictionary)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder.
(Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, NIH: National Institute of Mental Health)
A psychologically and socially impaired state, with or without physiological changes, that develops as a result of using cocaine and which leads to compulsive behaviors to acquire the substance.
(Cocaine Dependence, NCI Thesaurus)
The authors noted that children with Cushing syndrome often develop compulsive behaviors and tend to become over-achievers in school.
(Children with Cushing syndrome may have higher suicide risk, NIH)
It may be androgenetic or caused by chemotherapeutic agents, compulsive hair pulling, autoimmune disorders, and congenital conditions.
(Alopecia, NCI Thesaurus)
A 2-aminoethyl oxime ether of aralkylketones, with antidepressant, antiobsessive-compulsive, and anxiolytic properties.
(Fluvoxamine, NCI Thesaurus)
In addition, by administering a pharmaceutical compound developed to mimic the action of BDNF, researchers were also able to put a stop to compulsive drinking behaviors.
(New study identifies gene variant linked to compulsive drinking, NIH)
This results in facilitated serotonergic transmission and decreased serotonin turnover leading to antidepressant and antiobsessive-compulsive effects.
(Fluvoxamine Maleate, NCI Thesaurus)
Now, scientists at Rockefeller University have identified a brain circuit that underlies repetition, a finding that may shed light on compulsive behavior in humans.
(Research on repetitive worm behavior has implications for understanding human diseases, National Science Foundation)
This repetitive and compulsive behavior is associated with cognitive rigidity or an impairment in cognitive flexibility – an inability to adapt to new situations or new rules.
(Deep brain stimulation may significantly improve OCD symptoms, University of Cambridge)
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