fetishism

American  

[fet-i-shiz-uhm, fee-ti-] / ˈfɛt ɪˌʃɪz əm, ˈfi tɪ- /

Or fetichism

noun

1. belief in or use of fetishes.

2. Psychiatry. the compulsive use of some object, or part of the body, as a stimulus in the course of attaining sexual gratification, as a shoe, a lock of hair, or underclothes.

3. blind devotion.

   a fetishism of sacrifice to one's children.

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fetishism British  

/ ˈfɛtɪˌʃɪzəm, ˈfiː- /

noun

1. a condition in which the handling of an inanimate object or a specific part of the body other than the sexual organs is a source of sexual satisfaction

2. belief in or recourse to a fetish for magical purposes

3. excessive attention or attachment to something

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Other Word Forms

• fetishist
  noun
• fetishistic
  adjective
• fetishistically
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of fetishism

First recorded in 1795–1805; fetish + -ism

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fetishism

This fetishism straddles the worlds of high-end products and high-end art, both realms where wait lists are common, and connections and prestige are just as important as currency itself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

For all its brutality, the series retains the original’s romance without sliding into its predecessor’s cultural fetishism.

From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2024

"We need to be pragmatic and guided by observed data, including underlying inflation, without fetishism for increases that are too mechanical," he added.

From Reuters ● Jan. 5, 2023

In doing so, he illustrates how a record’s physicality — its texture, weight, composition — inspires such fetishism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2020

Henceforth, it was at the mercy of animal passions and fetishism, in certain newly-conquered countries.

From The Life of Mohammad The Prophet of Allah by Etienne Dinet

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