compulsive

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /kəmˈpʌlsɪv/ UK /kəmˈpʌlsɪv/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
resulting from or driven by an irresistible urge

His compulsive checking of the door kept him up at night.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · resulting from or driven by... obsessive uncontrollable irresistible drivenaddictiveinveterate

Opposites

voluntary controlled deliberate

Word family

Derived forms compulsivelycompulsiveness

Related forms compulsion compel compulsory

Etymology

From Medieval Latin compulsivus, from compulsus, past participle of compellere ('to drive together, force'), from com- ('together') + pellere ('to drive').

compellere Latin pellere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# compulsive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** kəmˈpʌlsɪv
**IPA (UK):** kəmˈpʌlsɪv

## Meanings
1. resulting from or driven by an irresistible urge

## Examples
- His compulsive checking of the door kept him up at night.

## Synonyms
- obsessive
- uncontrollable
- irresistible
- driven
- addictive
- inveterate

## Antonyms
- voluntary
- controlled
- deliberate

## Derived Forms
- compulsively
- compulsiveness

## Related Forms
- compulsion
- compel
- compulsory

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: compellere
- Root: pellere

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin compulsivus, from compulsus, past participle of compellere ('to drive together, force'), from com- ('together') + pellere ('to drive').

## AI Etymology
Compulsive comes from Medieval Latin compulsivus, from compulsus, past participle of compellere ('to drive together, force'), from com- ('together') + pellere ('to drive'). The historical trail runs through compellere in Latin and pellere in Latin. Morphologically, compulsive is transparent: it draws on Medieval Latin compulsivus, from compulsus, past participle of compellere ('to drive together, force'), from com- ('together') + pellere ('to drive'). Used as an adjective, compulsive now means "resulting from or driven by an irresistible urge", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as compulsively and compulsiveness and related forms such as compulsion, compel, and compulsory. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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