5

Is there a word for someone who always thinks about his girlfriend?

He does not let her go on Facebook, he only lets her do things that he wants, he always dotes on her, he does not like when she talks to other people.

| improve this question | |
  • "kept woman" comes to mind, though that's only applicable to her not him, and the common references seem to all include adultery which surprised me. – not store bought dirt Mar 20 '17 at 21:09
  • 4
    The way you have this question worded is a little confusing. Maybe it should read "Word for someone who does not let his girlfriend do anything without his permissions." or similar. – David Baucum Mar 20 '17 at 21:10
  • 3
    @notstoreboughtdirt as far as I know a "kept woman" is about financial support. There may be a correlation with the supporter's control of the supportee, but it's not inherent to the term. – stannius Mar 20 '17 at 21:45
  • 4
    This question is confusing. The title asks for a person who obsesses about his girlfriend, then the first line asks for a person who always thinks about his girlfriend, then the second line asks for a person who controls and restricts the activities of his girlfriend as well as expressing an over-developed sense of jealousy. These are all completely different things. Which is it? – Lightness Races in Orbit Mar 21 '17 at 11:30
  • @BoundaryImposition The question has been edited multiple times to try to make the question more clear. I have removed "obsesses" from the title because it's a loaded word, and it's not one that the author originally used. – ColleenV Mar 22 '17 at 13:47
14

A common contemporary term for this is "controlling", as in "over-controlling".

He was very controlling of their relationship and never let her go out with friends.

He was a very controlling person and habitually read her personal email and texts.

Another, more extreme possibility is "domineering", which implies the person dominates the relationship:

His domineering personality made it so that she couldn't leave the house without telling him where she was going, and when she would be back home.

| improve this answer | |
  • 3
    Yes, but I think quite often the submissive partner in such a relationship will describe his/her partner as jealous rather than controlling. Presumably as a sort of euphemistic apology (her/his superficially inconsiderate behaviour is actually a sign of how much he cares about me and wants me all to himself, not that he/she's a borderline psychopath! :) – FumbleFingers Reinstate Monica Mar 20 '17 at 17:03
  • @FumbleFingers I think "controlling" is itself a kind of euphemism for "domineering". It's the kind of touchy-feeling term used by therapists and marriage counselors -- not uncommon in my experience but perhaps new to someone else. I would say "jealous" can lead to "controlling" but you can be one without the other. – Andrew Mar 20 '17 at 17:20
  • controlling is a verb, not a noun. I think the verb control is fine to describe the person or what he does. What''s touchy-feely about it?? Even if jealous is the adjective, the verb would be control. – Lambie Mar 20 '17 at 18:58
  • 2
    @Lambie in this context "controlling" is an adjective, reference. It's touchy-feely because it's a neutral term used instead of more pejorative phrases that would lead to argument instead of dialogue, e.g. calling a jealous husband "controlling" is a lot nicer than saying he's an "overbearing asshole". – Andrew Mar 20 '17 at 20:04
  • 1
    Depending on the extent of the behavior, any or all of these could also be euphemisms for abusive. – 1006a Mar 20 '17 at 20:52
8

In slang, an informal term is: The guy is a control freak.

Johnny is obsessed with his girlfriend and is a control freak.

[[The one I hate is when "they" start saying what girlfriends can or cannot wear! Or who they can talk to. Ugggh]]

| improve this answer | |
  • I agree, "control freak" is a good colloquialism for this kind of behavior. – Andrew Mar 20 '17 at 20:05
  • I don't; wouldn't expect to hear the term used for this specific situation. – Lightness Races in Orbit Mar 21 '17 at 11:31
  • It describes what the asker wants to know to a T. – Lambie Mar 21 '17 at 12:32
  • It would help if you actually gave the definition of "control freak" so that it's more clear how it applies to this situation, and what other sorts of situations it might apply to - it's not just for boyfriends who try to control their girlfriends. – ColleenV Mar 22 '17 at 13:52
  • @ColleenV The OP has described it. That is enough. So, we had a definition, and I named it. Of course, it can apply to anyone who does similar things. – Lambie Mar 22 '17 at 14:08
3

You might also consider the word "abuser" as someone who exhibits the types of behaviors you mentioned in your question is emotionally abusing their girlfriend. Emotional abuse often turns to physical abuse. Controlling, domineering, jealous, etc. are watered down ways to describe emotional abuse.

| improve this answer | |
  • I have moved the comments to chat. Please keep in mind that the folks asking the question may not be fluent in English, so we shouldn't get too hung up on the exact words they use. – ColleenV Mar 22 '17 at 13:35
1

I would like to suggest attached. Which means: "to bind by ties of affection or regard."

You always attach yourself to people who end up hurting you.

An even stronger wording could be overly attached The overly attached girlfriend is a common meme which is very much in line with the description:

overly attached girlfriend meme

| improve this answer | |
-5

I believe the word you're looking for is:

Controlling

| improve this answer | |

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.