obsessed / possessed
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obsessed with
To be so strongly absorbed by an idea, a person, or a thing that you can hardly think about anything else. It describes an extreme passion or fixation.
Sie ist wie besessen von ihrer Arbeit und macht kaum noch Pausen.
She is almost obsessed with her work and hardly takes any breaks anymore.
'Besessen' (obsessed/possessed) is the past participle of the verb 'besitzen' (to own/possess). The meaning comes from the idea that an idea or a spirit 'possesses' a person, that is, has control over them.
Er ist besessen von dem Gedanken, reich zu werden.
He is obsessed with the idea of becoming rich.
When 'besessen' (obsessed) describes a strong passion, it always takes the preposition 'von' (of/by) with the dative.
Meine Schwester ist völlig besessen von dieser neuen Musikgruppe.
My sister is completely obsessed with this new music group.
People are typically obsessed with an idea, a thought, work, a hobby, or a person.
Der Künstler war wie besessen von der Idee, das perfekte Bild zu malen.
The artist was almost obsessed with the idea of painting the perfect picture.
You can recognize the supernatural meaning from the context. It is used almost only in stories, films, or religious texts, often together with words like 'Geist' (spirit), 'Dämon' (demon), or 'Teufel' (devil).
Die Dorfbewohner glaubten, das alte Haus sei von Geistern besessen.
The villagers believed the old house was possessed by spirits.
crazy
'verrückt nach' and 'besessen von' both describe a very strong interest in someone or something. 'verrückt nach' often sounds positive or slightly playful: you like something very much. 'besessen von' is stronger and more serious. It means that a person thinks about almost nothing else and has little distance from it. For that reason, 'besessen' can also sound negative. Learners may confuse the words because both express strong enthusiasm. In practice: for a strong liking, people often say 'verrückt nach' (crazy about); for an extreme fixation, 'besessen von' (obsessed with) is more likely.
Sie ist so besessen von diesem Spiel, dass sie sogar beim Essen darüber spricht.
She is so obsessed with this game that she even talks about it while eating.
Julian ist am Morgen schon verrückt nach frischem Kaffee.
Julian is already crazy about fresh coffee in the morning.