as in obsession
something about which one is constantly thinking or concerned
had this bizarre idée fixe that people were spying on her with electromagnetic waves
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of idée fixe
This is perhaps why their partnership remains an idee fixe so many decades later.
—
Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2021
Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idée fixe
Noun
-
In late November, the annual Anegada Lobster Festival takes the island's year-round lobster love and turns it into an obsession, with local restaurants featuring special dishes and plenty of events making the spiny Anegada lobster the star of the show.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Plus, though last year’s obsession with polka dots hasn’t completely died down, eye-catching horizontal stripes are threatening to dethrone spots as the pattern du jour.—
Jordan Julian,
InStyle,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But the Tarantino fetish becomes so pronounced in Russian writer-director Kirill Sokolov’s addition to the grungy revenge-thriller that every quick zoom and shock-cinema score cue starts to feel less like an adrenaline spike and more like a rib nudge.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Studies show the online dating space is less welcoming for Black women willing to try it — experiences include misogynoir, racial fetishes and microaggressions, in addition to biased dating app algorithms that leave many feeling invisible, less desirable and lonely.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That fixation has served him well.—
Claudia Rosenbaum,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Sure, everyone is well aware of the mayor’s fixation on higher taxes.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idée fixe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/id%C3%A9e%20fixe. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
