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
-
The first is that the élite obsession with shaping national politics, and with getting candidates elected, is a distraction.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
With co-founder Phil Knight, that obsession led to the establishment of Nike, an athletic apparel giant.—
Hannarose McGuinness,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The final rankings were determined using a weighted formula, with 25 percent attributed to time to first fixation and 75 percent to total viewing duration.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2026
-
City of Careless Angels is uneven, sprinkled with boilerplate indie signifiers and sometimes juvenile fixations on heartbreak.—
Donald Morrison,
Pitchfork,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idée fixe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/id%C3%A9e%20fixe. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
