Both Uses of
compulsive
in
In Cold Blood
- The compulsively superstitious person is also very often a serious believer in fate; that was the case with Perry.†
Chpt 1 *compulsively = excessively due to an uncontrollable desire
- Andrews, a compulsive eater (he had filled a scrapbook with illustrated edibles, everything from strawberry shortcake to roasted pig), said, "Maybe he is crazy.†
Chpt 4compulsive = done too much because of an uncontrollable desire
Definitions:
-
(1)
(compulsive) describing something someone does, as done too much because of an uncontrollable desire -- such as excessive gambling or eating
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, compulsive is used like compelling to indicate that something is so captivating that it is hard to turn attention away from it.