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
  • David Senra turned his obsession with studying great entrepreneurs into the podcast series Founders.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 July 2026
  • My latest obsession is Trader Joe’s new Spicy Pink Salt with Crushed Red Chili Pepper, which sells for only $2, and is admittedly easy to miss when roaming down the spice aisle.
    — Aly Walansky, Southern Living, 6 July 2026
Definition of obsession
Noun
  • So what’s up with the foot fetish?
    — Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 26 June 2026
  • An OnlyFans fetish creator, who recorded herself as a 56-year-old client wrapped in Saran wrap suffocated, has been sentenced to four years in prison for the man’s death.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
Definition of fetish
Noun
  • All the activity around how the nation votes and runs its elections is a reflection of the Republican president's long fixation on his false claim that his 2020 election defeat was rigged.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 June 2026
  • All the activity around how the nation votes and runs its elections is a reflection of the Republican president’s long fixation on his false claim that his 2020 election defeat was rigged.
    — Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 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 9 Jul. 2026.

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