idée fixe

noun

(ˌ)ē-ˌdā-ˈfēks How to pronounce idée fixe (audio)
Definition of idée fixenext
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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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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idée fixe
  1. obsession
  2. fetish
  3. fixation
Noun
  • For King, the film represented an opportunity to not just translate her online charisma into feature acting, but to reclaim some of the power that can disappear when a creator becomes the object of someone else’s obsession.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The brand hit shelves as consumers’ obsession with protein was kicking into high gear.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of obsession
Noun
  • Tupper’s Mick, at the mercy of his brittle fetishes, may be the most believable of this quartet.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • The screen is big, the image is sharp and bright, but Nolan’s visual compositions are dull—just pictures of actors acting, without style or poetry—and his fetish for size is just bombast and vanity.
    — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Definition of fetish
Noun
  • Also key to the president's grass fixation is his love of golf.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Also key to the president’s grass fixation is his love of golf.
    — Will Weissert, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of fixation

Browse Nearby Words

ideational
idée fixe
idées fixes
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Cite this Entry

“Idée fixe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/id%C3%A9e%20fixe. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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