brain-wormed

9.9

Unable to stop thinking about one idea or song

adjective
/ˈbreɪnˌwɜrmd/

Informal

: obsesionado

That catchy song got stuck in my head; I'm brain-wormed.

Examples

She felt brain-wormed by the problem, thinking about it constantly.
Don't get brain-wormed by every little thing!
After watching the movie, he was brain-wormed by its main theme for days.
I'm brain-wormed!
After watching the movie, he was brain-wormed by its main theme for days.
She felt brain-wormed by the problem, thinking about it constantly.
That catchy song got stuck in my head; I'm brain-wormed.

Synonyms

obsessed

vsbrain-wormed

459 4.8

Very strongly interested in someone or something and thinking about them all the time

is a fixation that specifically distracts the person rather than just strong interest

obsessive

vsbrain-wormed

103 6.2

Thinking about something too much in a way that harms you

is a fixation that distracts but is not always called unhealthy

lost

vsbrain-wormed

29 5.0

Absorbed in thought and not aware of your surroundings

is a persistent, distracting fixation rather than a brief absorbed moment

obsessional

vsbrain-wormed

3 7.7

Having strong, repeated thoughts or worries that are hard to stop

is a distracting fixation in casual use rather than intrusive persistent thoughts

monomaniacal

vsbrain-wormed

Archaic

1 9.9

Being very focused on one idea and ignoring other things

is a fixation that can be on any thought or song, not only one subject

bemused

vsbrain-wormed

1 6.7

Lost in thought and not paying attention to what is around

is an intrusive fixation causing repeated distraction rather than mere concentration

prepossessed

vsbrain-wormed

1 9.2

Thinking about something all the time and not paying attention

is a stronger fixation implying actual distraction and persistence

How Obsessed

obsessed

459 4.8

brain-wormed

Informal

9.9

preoccupied

87 4.5

distracted

185 3.1

Surface Forms

brain-wormed positive

Morphology

brain-wormed = brainworm (semi-transparent) = brain + worm + ed

Formed from the compound 'brain' + 'worm' with the adjectival '-ed'; the metaphorical sense is inferable but slangy and not fully literal for all learners.

Etymology

Brain-wormed joins brain and worm, so you can picture a tiny creature that 'burrows' into your head and stays there. A helpful way to remember it is like earworm, a song 'stuck' in your head, and to be brain-wormed is to be obsessed or fixed on a thought and unable to stop thinking about it.