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Showing results for fixation. Search instead for fixatifs.
Synonyms

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.
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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

AI food content has been a fixation on TikTok for months now, with several accounts capitalising on the viral-bait.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

The sea-sourced shining star doesn’t just look good, it has become a fixation.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026

He has performed this exact procedure on dozens of patients, notably those whose symmetry goals have become an obvious fixation.

From Slate • Feb. 22, 2026

When a promotion affords her a workspace, she cultivates a fixation with paperweights, which help keep her daydreaming grounded.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

And make him forget about your forehead fixation.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

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.