fixed idea

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noun

a persistent or obsessing idea, often delusional, that can, in extreme form, be a symptom of psychosis.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of fixed idea

First recorded in 1820–30

Words nearby fixed idea

fixed exchange rate, fixed-focus camera, fixed-gear, fixed head, fixed-head coupé, fixed idea, fixed-income, fixed-length, fixed liability, fixed link, fixed oil

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

How to use fixed idea in a sentence

In the meantime, every pre-fixed idea on left and right is laid waste here.
A Reality Too Complex|Michael Tomasky|April 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I hate to burst your fixed idea that Tomasky surely comes from a long line of elitists.
A Note to Conservative Readers|Michael Tomasky|June 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
On the way I passed a gingerbread shop, and the fixed idea took hold of me that you must like gingerbread.
Charles Baudelaire, His Life|Thophile Gautier
It seems to be a fixed idea that a girl is dependent on invitations from young men for her social pleasures.
The Leaven in a Great City|Lillian William Betts

If I diagnose or treat the fixed idea of a psychasthenic, the psychological factor itself represents the disturbance.
Psychotherapy|Hugo Mnsterberg
I cannot decide, but he has told me that never till that time did he realise the sustaining power of a fixed idea.
The Life of Thomas Wanless, Peasant|Alexander Johnstone Wilson
The leader himself had one fixed idea in his mind, to reach Washington before Congress adjourned.
Historic Adventures|Rupert S. Holland

British Dictionary definitions for fixed idea

fixed idea

noun

an idea, esp one of an obsessional nature, that is persistently maintained and not subject to changeAlso: idée fixe

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

fixed idea

Origin of fixed idea

Words nearby fixed idea

Words related to fixed idea

How to use fixed idea in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fixed idea