fe·tish·ism
ˈfe-ti-ˌshi-zəm 
also ˈfē-
variants
or less commonly fetichism
1
: belief in or use of spiritual fetishes
2
: extravagant irrational devotion
3
: the pathological displacement of erotic interest and satisfaction to a fetish
fet·ish·is·tic
variants
or less commonly fetichistic
or less commonly fetishic
¦fe|t|i¦shistik,
|t|,
|ē¦sh-,
-istēk also ¦fē| or ¦fā|
feˈtishik,
fēˈ-,
fāˈ-,
-shēk
1
: of, belonging to, or characterized by fetishism
2
a
: invested with extraphysical or symbolic significance
fetishistic objects gathered in shrines
the injection had become a fetishistic symbol—
Wenzell Brown
Wenzell Brown
b
: marked by fixed irrational regard
its fetishistic veneration for education—D. S. Savage
D. S. Savagea fetishistic response to women's shoes
Examples of fetishism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 June 2026
Many who remembered his term in office—marked by Holocaust denial, atom-bomb fetishism, and shoving Islamic revolutionary ideology down the throats of a country already weary of it—celebrated his reported assassination.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
To achieve this coherence, one must be freed from all fetishism toward the past and commit to a wholly new adventure.
—Elinore Weil, Artforum, 4 Mar. 2026
The meat of the manuscript is Fedorova’s historical/sociological analysis of the elements of fetishism, also known as kink, each explored in one of 10 chapters: Leather, Latex, The Dominatrix, The Gimp, The Chaser, Feet, Medical Gloves, Cars, Monsters and The Fetish Club.
—Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fetishism
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Noun
This is amusing but understandable; in an era where commodity fetishism has turned analog, low-budget cinema into something aspirational, Jenkin has made no compromises for accessibility.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 June 2026
Many who remembered his term in office—marked by Holocaust denial, atom-bomb fetishism, and shoving Islamic revolutionary ideology down the throats of a country already weary of it—celebrated his reported assassination.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
To achieve this coherence, one must be freed from all fetishism toward the past and commit to a wholly new adventure.
—Elinore Weil, Artforum, 4 Mar. 2026
The meat of the manuscript is Fedorova’s historical/sociological analysis of the elements of fetishism, also known as kink, each explored in one of 10 chapters: Leather, Latex, The Dominatrix, The Gimp, The Chaser, Feet, Medical Gloves, Cars, Monsters and The Fetish Club.
—Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fetishism
Cite this Entry
“Fetishism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetishism. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
fetishism
noun
fe·tish·ism
variants
also fetichism
: the pathological displacement of erotic interest and satisfaction to a fetish
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