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
-
In fact, while bitcoin’s been in a price slump, the stock market has notched several all-time record highs and capital is rotating elsewhere as investors chase the chip rally and their obsession with AI infrastructure grows.—
Tanaya Macheel,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
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Interest in the author’s life can curdle into obsession, as in Henry James’s The Aspern Papers, in which the narrator embraces any deception necessary to acquire the letters of a dead poet.—
Walt Hunter,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
But Thiel isn’t just one more investor with a Tolkien fetish.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
26 May 2026
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Various nemeses and side characters enter the fray, from Jim’s archenemy (and also Insta-famous) Pavel to the scally with a sneaker-sniffing fetish who guides Jim and Lucien to their next destination.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Notwithstanding the administration’s fixation with coal, solar remains by far the fastest-growing source of new electricity generation in the country.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
4 June 2026
-
His fixation on tech helped him in his career path; his collection grew tremendously throughout.—
Zuri Primos
June 3,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idée fixe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/id%C3%A9e%20fixe. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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