fixation

American  

[fik-sey-shuhn] / fɪkˈseɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of fixing or the state of being fixed.

2. Chemistry.

   1. reduction from a volatile or fluid to a stable or solid form.

   2. the process of converting atmospheric nitrogen into a useful compound, as a nitrate fertilizer.

3. Photography. the process of rendering an image permanent by removal of light-sensitive silver halides.

4. Psychoanalysis. a partial arrest of emotional and instinctual development at an early point in life, due to a severe traumatic experience or an overwhelming gratification.

5. a preoccupation with one subject, issue, etc.; obsession.

   All her life she had a fixation on stories of violent death.

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fixation British  

/ fɪkˈseɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of fixing or the state of being fixed

2. a preoccupation or obsession

3. psychol

   1. the act of fixating

   2. (in psychoanalytical schools) a strong attachment of a person to another person or an object in early life

4. chem

   1. the conversion of nitrogen in the air into a compound, esp a fertilizer

   2. the conversion of a free element into one of its compounds

5. the reduction of a substance from a volatile or fluid form to a nonvolatile or solid form

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Other Word Forms

• nonfixation noun

Etymology

Origin of fixation

1350–1400; Middle English fixacion < Medieval Latin fixātiōn- (stem of fixātiō ) a reduction to a fixed state. See fix, -ation

Example Sentences

This explains our fixation with “Ted Lasso” when it was new, and “Shrinking” now that it has settled into identity.

From Salon

In one of Fox’s narratives—a tale within Ms. Oyeyemi’s tale—this fixation is called out by Mary Foxe, a character Mr. Fox has supposedly imagined.

From The Wall Street Journal

It seemed Musk would need a Captain Ahab fixation to make the Model S real.

From The Wall Street Journal

The report highlighted cases of premature removal of bone fixation devices, operations carried out without a clear rationale, problems with how bones were pinned and making cuts into bones at the wrong level.

From BBC

The author’s financial fixations permeate every page of the book.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fascination
• infatuation
• preoccupation