obsessively
UK[əbˈsesɪvli]US[əbˈsesɪvli]
adv
in a way that involves thinking about something or someone constantly or excessively
adv
in a manner characteristic of an obsession
Morpheme Breakdown
obsess
ive
ly
obsess
to besiege, to haunt
ive
adjective-forming suffix
ly
adverb-forming suffix
Etymology
the adverb 'obsessively' is built upon the latin verb obsidēre, which literally meant 'to sit down against' or 'to besiege', combining ob- (against) and sedēre (to sit). this military metaphor of a persistent, surrounding force evolved to describe a mind persistently haunted or preoccupied by an idea. the addition of the latin-derived suffix -ive created the adjective 'obsessive', characterizing a person or tendency given to such fixation. finally, the old english adverbial suffix -ly was appended, transforming it into the modern adverb that describes the manner of acting with an all-consuming, besieging intensity.
Analysis
Structure: obsess (to besiege, to haunt) + ive (adjective-forming suffix) + ly (adverb-forming suffix)
obsess: from latin obsess-, past participle stem of obsidēre meaning 'to besiege', from ob- (against) + sedēre (to sit). in this word, it functions as the verbal root conveying the core meaning of being persistently occupied or haunted.
ive: a suffix of latin origin (-ivus) used to form adjectives meaning 'of the nature of' or 'tending to'. here, it converts the verb 'obsess' into the adjective 'obsessive'.
ly: a suffix from old english (-līce), used to form adverbs from adjectives, meaning 'in a specified manner'.
Examples
she checked her phone obsessively, unable to focus on the conversation.
he cleaned his collection obsessively, ensuring every item was perfectly arranged.
the writer revised the first chapter obsessively, never moving on to the rest of the book.