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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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
  • Chalk it up to my obsession with Twin Peaks, affinity for mossy landscapes, and lifelong fascination with all things misty and mystic; the Pacific Northwest has always felt like a second home.
    — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2026
  • When Seungil says the visits are over for good, Minjeong grabs Ppoppo on impulse and hides out at a friend’s place, where her joy soon tips into obsession.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 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
  • This fixation was displayed in costumes and even large prop phalli that took center stage.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Oliver Reed plays Grandier; Vanessa Redgrave is Sister Jeanne, the head nun whose fixation on him helps fuel the catastrophe.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of fixation
Noun
  • Millet’s 2022 novel Dinosaurs also reflects her fascination with long extinct creatures.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Howard said there is still a fascination with FDR more than 80 years after his death.
    — John Ramos, CBS News, 6 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 12 Oct. 2026.

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