Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

besetting

adjective be·set·ting

Definition of BESETTING

:  constantly present or attacking :  obsessive
See besetting defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT

First Known Use of BESETTING

1634

Related to BESETTING

Synonyms
compulsive, driven, impulsive, obsessional, obsessive

Rhymes with BESETTING

bed-wetting, bloodletting, filmsetting, go-getting, jet-setting, place setting, trendsetting, typesetting, wire netting

Learn More About BESETTING

Browse

2 ENTRIES FOUND:
  1. besetting
  2. beset
Next Word in the Dictionary: beshawledPrevious Word in the Dictionary: besetAll Words Near: besetting
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries