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
  4. fascination
Noun
  • Charlie Barron has a habit of transforming curiosity into obsession.
    — Jill Newman, Robb Report, 8 Nov. 2026
  • City streets and suburban shopping malls have been reconfigured in response to our collective obsession with appearance, health and performance.
    — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of obsession
Noun
  • Conahan, now 72, acknowledged having a bondage fetish in court but has always denied killing anyone.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, we’re presented with deviant men defined only by their fetishes, creating an uneasy imbalance that’s impossible to ignore.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of fetish
Noun
  • The character is not above asking inappropriate questions like how much an expensive shirt costs, signaling a sort of vulgar fixation on money.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2026
  • But this little episode does provide another reason to question the usefulness of Google’s fixation on AI as a web-search interface.
    — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of fixation
Noun
  • An old fascination can still have something new to teach you.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 Your next fascination could start surprisingly close to home.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of fascination

Browse Nearby Words

ideational
idée fixe
idées fixes
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“Idée fixe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/id%C3%A9e%20fixe. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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