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
  • This latest obsession from Japan focuses on a plump, fresh finish, one that calls to mind the softness and suppleness of the famous Japanese dessert for which it is named.
    — Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Two groups on Beirut City Pop, Force and Games, are fronted by Saadi, and each shows different sides of his obsessions.
    — Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 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
  • 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
  • The pretty decorative pouch taps into pop culture’s Jane Austen fixation.
    — Irene Kim, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of fixation
Noun
  • The teenage activist who followed liberation movements around the world still has a fascination with foreign policy.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
  • In college, Behrens studied education but developed a fascination with politics and was president of Hartford’s student government.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of fascination

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 31 Oct. 2026.

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