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
-
My obsession with shredding began in May of 2021, in East Palestine, Ohio.—
Mary Norris,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
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The ritual has gone from Wim Hof curiosity to mainstream obsession, with Lady Gaga, Chris Hemsworth, Joe Rogan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady and LeBron James all chasing the same icy hit.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Here, the sado-sensual yearning of the Confederacy to instantiate itself through the fetishes and reliquaries of figurative sculpture is shown as hollow, impotent, all too discomfiting, and very real.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
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Studies show the online dating space is less welcoming for Black women willing to try it — experiences include misogynoir, racial fetishes and microaggressions, in addition to biased dating app algorithms that leave many feeling invisible, less desirable and lonely.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The post doesn’t even acknowledge that actual violence has already been associated with ChatGPT and the bot’s capacity to amplify violent thoughts or fixations — just that folks could turn to ChatGPT to discuss violence.—
Maggie Harrison Dupré,
Futurism,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Kudrna had olecranon stress fracture fixation surgery.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idée fixe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/id%C3%A9e%20fixe. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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