fetishism

noun

fe·​tish·​ism ˈfe-ti-ˌshi-zəm 

 also  ˈfē-

variants or less commonly fetichism

1

: belief in magical fetishes

2

: extravagant irrational devotion

3

: the pathological displacement of erotic interest and satisfaction to a fetish

fetishist

ˈfe-ti-shist 

 also  ˈfē-

noun

fetishistic

ˌfe-ti-ˈshi-stik 

also

ˌfē- 

adjective

fetishistically

ˌfe-ti-ˈshi-sti-k(ə-)lē 

 also  ˌfē-

adverb

Examples of fetishism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This can be an attractive pitch in an era of overflowing data fetishism, as the critic Ben David has observed. —Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 9 July 2025

There were video game plushies, Bratz shirts, Minecraft totems, along with some Southern fetishism like cowboy boots and half-unbuttoned flannels. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 25 June 2025

What differed this time around was how Rousteing’s take on showiness relied strongly on organic form, animal print, and fetishism than its usual out-there irreverence. —Julian Randall, Essence, 6 Mar. 2025

The transgressive tingle of such sentences has dulled a little over time; the contemporary reader may find their strident fetishism more than a touch distasteful. —Giles Harvey, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fetishism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

Medical Definition

fetishism

noun

fe·​tish·​ism

variants also fetichism

-ish-ˌiz-əm 

: the pathological displacement of erotic interest and satisfaction to a fetish

fetishistic adjective

also fetichistic

ˌfet-ish-ˈis-tik also ˌfēt- 

fetishistically

-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb