fixated 1 of 2

past tense of fixate
as in stared
to look at or think about something constantly; to give all of your attention to something
usually + on or upon
The cat was fixated on a small hole in the wall. Why do journalists fixate on scandals?

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fixated

2 of 2

adjective

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 fixated
Verb
As the Vikings coaches and players were fixated on each game early in this season, Martin, Parson and others like Chad Lundeen, the team’s vice president of operations and security, were knee deep in planning for this week. Alec Lewis, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025 The liberal notions that underpinned the geopolitical West were fundamentally universal; the nationalist ones that raise up the civilizational West are instead fixated on the defense of borders and fear of others. Stewart Patrick, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
That powerful sense of smell could explain why the dog in the TikTok video may have been fixated on a wall. Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025 Since at least the 1980s, movie studios have been fixated on catering to an audience of teenage boys. Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fixated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fixated
Verb
  • Coach Jim Harbaugh stared back as the clock ticked — 19 seconds, 18, 17, 16, 15.
    Daniel Popper, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Daria stared at the arrangement of perfectly circular reddish bruises on the woman’s back, exposed by her halter top.
    Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But the irony is that the fictional worlds I was most obsessed with had no place for me either.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
  • In Mysterious Skin, 1980s Kansas teenager Neil (Gordon-Levitt) becomes a hustler, and Brian (Brady Corbet) becomes obsessed with UFOs, years after playing on the same little league team and experiencing a mutual childhood trauma, during which Brian is convinced they were abducted by aliens.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Who among us has not gazed at the stars and marveled at how our eyes are absorbing light that traveled thousands of years to reach us?
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Matisse dressed the part of a British gentleman and gazed at his conversation partners with a serenity that bordered on a trance.
    Christopher C. Gorham September 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Your monomaniacal focus creates your monopoly.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Shortly after Dickies Arena opened in 2019, organizers eyed hosting a potential Dallas Mavericks preseason game.
    Mac Engel October 2, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025
  • The brown eyed, curly-haired child is playing with Play-Doh in the family photograph.
    Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Suburban communities, including Wauwatosa, Brookfield and New Berlin, have considered a wheel tax to raise revenue for city services.
    Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Penn State’s season turns into a nightmare This is an unfathomable result for the Nittany Lions, who just eight days ago were considered national championship contenders.
    Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But Jon seemed distracted, and not altogether himself, Rachel tells Rolling Stone.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
  • However, people with ASD are more likely to have trouble shifting their focus rather than being easily distracted and hyperactive in general.
    Laura Dorwart, Health, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Marcela lowered her voice and cautiously peered around.
    Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Walker, 46, and his wife, Cassandra Troy Walker, 42, were at their oceanside home in Vancouver in May when Cassandra peered into the distance with binoculars and spotted a dolphin that was struggling.
    Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fixated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fixated. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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