fetish
Americannoun
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fetishes
plural
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any object, part of the body, or activity that is ordinarily regarded as nonsexual and causes a habitual erotic response or fixation.
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a habitual erotic response to or fixation on an object, part of the body, or activity ordinarily regarded as nonsexual.
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unconventional sexual practices involving an object, part of the body, or activity ordinarily regarded as nonsexual, considered collectively.
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Anthropology. an object regarded with awe as being the embodiment or habitation of a potent spirit or as having magical potency.
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any object, idea, etc., eliciting unquestioning reverence, respect, or devotion.
We shouldn't make a fetish of high grades, as there are other ways of measuring success.
It's no secret that the previous administration had a fetish for secrecy.
noun
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something, esp an inanimate object, that is believed in certain cultures to be the embodiment or habitation of a spirit or magical powers
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a form of behaviour involving fetishism
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any object that is involved in fetishism
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any object, activity, etc, to which one is excessively or irrationally devoted
to make a fetish of cleanliness
Usage
What is a fetish? The word fetish is used in the context of some religions to refer to an object believed to have supernatural power or to contain a spirit, especially an object that has been created, such as a small carving or sculpture. Practitioners of such religions mayuse fetishes during religious ceremonies or as charms during other activities, such as hunting. They are treated with reverence due to the belief that they contain a spirit or have a special magical power. Example: The shaman began the ceremony by placing the fetish on the altar. Based on this sense, fetish can also be used in a more general way to refer to something that is obsessed over or treated with devotion, as in a fetish for collecting fine wine. The word fetish is also commonly used to refer to nonsexual things or body parts that cause sexual arousal, as in I have a fetish for glasses. Often, another word is used to specify a person’s sexual fetish, as in foot fetish or food fetish.
Discover More
Figuratively, a “fetish” is any object that arouses excessive devotion: “Lucille made a fetish of her Porsche.”
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of fetish
First recorded in 1605–15; earlier fateish, from Portuguese feitiço “charm, sorcery” (noun), “artificial” (adjective), from Latin factīcius factitious; replacing fatisso, fetisso, from Portuguese, as above
Explanation
A fetish is an extremely strong devotion to something. There are sexual fetishes and nonsexual fetishes: both are obsessive interests. The most common use of the word fetish is probably the sexual meaning. Someone with a foot fetish is abnormally interested in feet and gets sexual pleasure from seeing, being around, and even thinking about feet. There are probably thousands of sexual fetishes, most of which are too inappropriate to write about here. A non-sexual fetish is just an excessive interest in something, like a football fan who lives and breathes everything NFL.
Vocabulary lists containing fetish
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Mr. Armitage distinguishes himself by refusing the fetish of incompleteness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Imelda Marcos’ fetish for fiendishly expensive shoes was a running gag in the 1980s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
"Or it was chic the first time Lloyd did it, but now it just looks like a fetish for ventilation ducts."
From BBC ● May 24, 2024
In both films, guns become truly dangerous when they become a fetish: an object worshipped for its supposed power and symbolic meaning.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 3, 2023
But the mothers tell him no, no, they had already tied the nkisi around the child’s neck or wrist, a fetish from the Nganga Kuvudundu to ward off evil.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Tupper’s Mick, at the mercy of his brittle fetishes, may be the most believable of this quartet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Former President Lazarus Chakwera insists the canines, trained to detect weapons, black-magic fetishes and other potential threats, are key members of his security detail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026
Rust Cohle slow dances with murmurings about Carcosa in Season 1, and the anthology’s creator Nic Pizzolatto spiced up the mystique by depositing backwoods fetishes near crime scenes.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2024
Students of the cinematic supernatural will know better, given the fantastic objects scattered throughout the horror genre, with its demonic dolls, cursed videotapes and enchanted fetishes.
From New York Times ● Jul. 22, 2020
The witch woman buried fetishes in secret places, took her payment, and departed in her mule cart.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
