fixation

Meanings

1. 1nouncountabledisapproving

   An unusually strong and persistent focus on one person, idea or thing, to the point that it seems unhealthy.

   Grammar: Often followed by on or with: a fixation on winning.

   Patterns

   • a fixation on something
   • a fixation with someone

   Her fixation on perfect grades made her miserable.

   He developed a fixation with old trains.

   The newspaper's fixation on the celebrity wedding annoyed many readers.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountabletechnical

   In psychology, a stage where a person's emotional development stays stuck on an early interest or attachment.

   Grammar: Often in technical talk: oral fixation.

   Patterns

   • fixation at a stage

   The therapist described his habit as an oral fixation.

   Early theories linked adult fears to childhood fixation.

   Fixation can show up as a lasting need for comfort.

3. 3noununcountabletechnical

   The act of fastening something firmly in place, or the process of making a substance stable.

   Grammar: Used in medicine and science: fixation of a bone or a sample.

   Patterns

   • fixation of something

   Surgeons used a metal plate for the fixation of the broken bone.

   Careful fixation of the tissue samples prevents decay.

   Plants perform nitrogen fixation with the help of bacteria.

Word forms

Common combinations

an unhealthy fixation

He had an unhealthy fixation on his rival.

develop a fixation

Children sometimes develop a fixation on one toy.

fixation on

Her fixation on the clock made the meeting tense.

oral fixation

Chewing pens is sometimes called an oral fixation.

nitrogen fixation

Nitrogen fixation helps plants get nutrients.

Synonyms and how they differ

obsession

Obsession is the closest everyday word and suggests thoughts that are hard to control, while fixation stresses the narrow focus.

preoccupation

Preoccupation is milder and may be temporary, whereas fixation sounds more fixed and lasting.

infatuation

Infatuation is used mostly for short-lived romantic passion, which fixation is not limited to.

Opposites

Word family

fix verb

to attach firmly, or to repair

fixate verb

to stare at or think about something too much

fixated adjective

unable to stop thinking about something

fixed adjective

set in place or not changing

Commonly confused: fixation or fixing?

Practice

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