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

But as Jeremy O. Harris’ stage hit “Slave Play” has reminded us in recent years, heated arguments about fetishism, assimilation and otherness aren’t at all abstract when it comes to dating interracially.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2023

"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

Polytheism may, or may not, follow, in order of time, upon fetishism; but polytheism is not merely a form of fetishism.

From The Idea of God in Early Religions by F. B. (Frank Byron) Jevons

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