idée fixe

noun

(ˌ)ē-ˌdā-ˈfēks How to pronounce idée fixe (audio)
plural idées fixes (ˌ)ē-ˌdā-ˈfēks How to pronounce idée fixe (audio)
Synonyms of idée fixenext
: an idea that dominates one's mind especially for a prolonged period : obsession

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The term idée fixe is a 19th-century French coinage. French writer Honoré de Balzac used it in his 1830 novella Gobseck to describe an obsessive idea. By 1836, Balzac's more generalized use of the term had carried over into English, where idée fixe was embraced as a clinical and literary term for a persistent preoccupation or delusional idea that dominates a person's mind. Although it is still used in both psychology and music, nowadays idée fixe is also applied to milder and more pedestrian obsessions.

Synonyms

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Examples of idée fixe in a Sentence

had this bizarre idée fixe that people were spying on her with electromagnetic waves
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
This is perhaps why their partnership remains an idee fixe so many decades later. —Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2021

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, fixed idea

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of idée fixe was in 1836

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries Near idée fixe

ideatum

idée fixe

idée-force

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Idée fixe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/id%C3%A9e%20fixe. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

idée fixe

noun
(ˌ)ē-ˌdā-ˈfēks How to pronounce idée fixe (audio)
plural idées fixes -ˈfēks(-əz) How to pronounce idée fixe (audio)
: an idea that takes over a person's mind
Etymology

French, literally "fixed idea"

Medical Definition

idée fixe

noun
(ˌ)ē-ˌdā-ˈfēks
plural idées fixes
-ˈfēks(-əz)
: a usually delusional idea that dominates the whole mental life during a prolonged period (as in certain mental disorders)

called also fixed idea

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