intrusive ideas

USAGE SUMMARY

'intrusive ideas' is correct and can be used in written English.
You could use it when describing someone who has thoughts and ideas that are disruptive or unwelcome to other people. For example: I kept trying to focus on my work, but I couldn't shake the intrusive ideas that kept popping into my head.

✓ Grammatically correct

Clinical Neurophysiology

The Economist

Huffington Post

Los Angeles Times

European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

The Guardian - Tech

The Guardian

EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing

Clinical Psychology Review

Behavior Genetics

BMC Psychiatry

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

BMC Public Health

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder featuring obsessions (intrusive ideas) and compulsions which are repetitive behaviors performed through rigid rituals.

Clinical Neurophysiology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

(Another intrusive idea, for euro-zone countries to guarantee a "safe" portion of each other's debts, runs into similar problems of efficacy and sovereignty).Let them default and they probably won'tMight the markets be the answer to keeping discipline in the euro zone?

The Economist

Of course, one wonders if such an intrusive idea could ever take hold in the U.S., where the belief in personal freedom often trumps consideration of the common good, and the idea of government-issued ID cards and RFID tracking is often seen as suspect.

Huffington Post

Gaiman's address has just been released as a small hardcover, under the title "Neil Gaiman's 'Make Good Art' speech" (Morrow: unpaged, $12.99), and if the page design (by Chip Kidd) can be a bit intrusive, the ideas, the enthusiasm, continue to resonate.

Los Angeles Times

The items of the PTS-scale concern nightmares, remembering scary things, difficulty stopping intrusive thought about bad things that have happened, scary ideas or pictures pop into the head etc.

European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Clinically, OCD is characterized by intrusive unwanted thoughts, ideas, or images that are distressing (obsessions) and urges to perform ritualistic behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) to reduce this distress.

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

Perhaps more intrusive is the idea of an Internet of Things-enabled lavatory, which uses sensors inside the bowl to sample your stool and provide health-related insights.

The Guardian - Tech

Will customers grant permission for retailers to track them – and send location-based ads to their phones – in stores, or will they find the idea intrusive?

The Guardian

In contrast to intrusive methods, the idea of the single-ended (non-intrusive) signal-based method is to predict the quality without access to a reference signal.

EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing

She also used the word "intrusive" -- the idea of something interrupting you when you don't want it to.

Huffington Post

Current cognitive information processing theories of PTSD (Brewin et al., 1996; Ehlers & Clark, 2000) converge on the idea that intrusive images develop due to impaired information processing during the traumatic event (Holmes & Bourne, 2008).

Clinical Psychology Review

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "intrusive ideas" to describe suggestions or plans that impose unwanted constraints or regulations.

Common error

Avoid using "intrusive ideas" to describe brainstorming sessions or times when you are trying to be creative. The term implies negativity and unwanted thoughts, so positive exploration of ideas would not be considered "intrusive".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "intrusive ideas" functions as a noun phrase, where 'intrusive' modifies 'ideas'. It describes the nature of the ideas as being unwelcome, disruptive, or unwanted. As confirmed by Ludwig, it's grammatically correct for use in written English.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

40%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

5%

Reference

10%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "intrusive ideas" is a grammatically correct and common expression used to describe unwelcome, disruptive, or unwanted thoughts. As affirmed by Ludwig, the phrase is suitable for use in written English, particularly when discussing mental health conditions or unwanted impositions. The most common alternatives include "unwanted thoughts" and "disturbing thoughts", each carrying slightly different connotations. While versatile, it's crucial to differentiate "intrusive ideas" from positive or creative thought processes. Its prevalence is notable across news, scientific, and formal business contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

intrusive thoughts

A synonym focusing on the mental aspect.

invasive ideas

Highlights the violating or encroaching nature of the ideas.

unwelcome ideas

Emphasizes the lack of acceptance or desire for these ideas.

disturbing ideas

Emphasizes the unsettling nature of the ideas.

distressing ideas

Focuses on the emotional impact, emphasizing the anxiety or pain they cause.

uncomfortable ideas

Focuses on the discomfort these ideas may cause.

troubling ideas

Focuses on the anxiety or worry that the ideas create.

disruptive ideas

Highlights the interrupting or disturbing effect of these ideas.

intrusive initiatives

Shifts focus from ideas to actions but retains the intrusive quality.

intrusive recommendations

Shifts from general ideas to specific suggestions.

FAQs

How can I use "intrusive ideas" in a sentence?

"Intrusive ideas" are often unwanted thoughts that can cause distress. For example, "The patient suffered from obsessive thoughts and "intrusive ideas" that disrupted their daily life."

What's a good substitute for the phrase "intrusive ideas"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "unwanted thoughts", "disturbing thoughts", or "invasive thoughts".

Are "intrusive thoughts" and "intrusive ideas" the same thing?

While very similar, "intrusive thoughts" typically refer to sudden, unwanted thoughts, while "intrusive ideas" can also refer to unwelcome concepts or plans imposed upon someone.

In what contexts is it appropriate to use the term "intrusive ideas"?

It is appropriate to use "intrusive ideas" when describing mental health conditions like OCD or PTSD, or when discussing policies or suggestions that are unwelcome or disruptive.