fixation

[ fik-sey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for fixation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of fixing or the state of being fixed.

  2. Chemistry.

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

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

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

  2. 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.

  3. a preoccupation with one subject, issue, etc.; obsession: All her life she had a fixation on stories of violent death.

Origin of fixation

1
1350–1400; Middle English fixacion<Medieval Latin fixātiōn- (stem of fixātiō) a reduction to a fixed state. See fix, -ation

Other words from fixation

  • non·fix·a·tion, noun

Words Nearby fixation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fixation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fixation

fixation

/ (fɪkˈseɪʃən) /


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

  2. a preoccupation or obsession

  1. psychol

    • the act of fixating

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

  2. chem

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

    • the conversion of a free element into one of its compounds

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

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