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
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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
-
To her surprise, Maryam begins to develop a closer bond with her – but Nessa cannot let go of the obsession.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2026
-
This dark psychological thriller about guilt, obsession, truth and morality arises out of just a single conversation between strangers who happen to sit next to one another.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Here, the sado-sensual yearning of the Confederacy to instantiate itself through the fetishes and reliquaries of figurative sculpture is shown as hollow, impotent, all too discomfiting, and very real.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
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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
Noun
-
The fixation leads her down a rabbit hole culminating in the revelation of shocking secrets.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
-
Across the slate, a fixation on class and inequality recurs.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idée fixe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/id%C3%A9e%20fixe. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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