What does "fixation" mean?
The act of fixing.
Fixation
/fɪksˈeɪʃən/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of fixing.
- Grammar: fixation is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: obsession, anchorage, arrest, arrestation.
- Useful contrasts: carbon release, change, detachment.
- Usage evidence: Tom has a strange fixation to potato salad.
How to use "fixation"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fixation" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fixation" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "fixation" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fixation" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fixation" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "obsession" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "fixation", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of fixing. countable, uncountable
- 2 (histology) the preservation and hardening of a tissue sample to retain as nearly as possible the same relations they had in the living body wordnet
- 3 The state of being fixed or fixated. countable, uncountable
- 4 the activity of fastening something firmly in position wordnet
- 5 The act of uniting chemically with a solid substance or in a solid form; reduction to a non-volatile condition; -- said of volatile elements. countable, uncountable
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone wordnet
- 7 The act or process of ceasing to be fluid and becoming firm. countable, uncountable
- 8 an abnormal state in which development has stopped prematurely wordnet
- 9 In metals, a state of resistance to evaporation or volatilization by heat. countable, uncountable
- 10 A state of mind involving obsession with a particular person, idea, or thing. countable, uncountable
"Increasingly it is being realised that a modern conurbation's transport problems cannot be solved if there is a fixation on profit and loss in public transport—[...]."
- 11 A state of mind involving obsession with a particular person, idea, or thing.; A sexual fetish or turn-on. countable, uncountable
- 12 Recording a creative work in a medium of expression for more than a transitory duration, thereby satisfying the "fixation" requirement for the purposes of copyright law. countable, uncountable
"In order to obtain copyright on a recording in the United States, the recording must have been reduced to fixation on or after February 15, 1972."
- 13 The change in a gene pool from a situation where there exists at least two variants of a particular gene (allele) to a situation where only one of the alleles remains. countable, uncountable
- 14 preservation of biological tissues from decay due to autolysis or putrefaction. countable, uncountable
- 15 process by which an injury is rendered immobile. countable, uncountable
- 16 maintaining of the gaze on a single location. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Tom has a strange fixation to potato salad."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fixation"?
Common synonyms include: obsession, anchorage, arrest, arrestation, arrested development, arrested development.
How do you use "fixation" in a sentence?
Tom has a strange fixation to potato salad.
How do you pronounce "fixation"?
Pronounced /fɪksˈeɪʃən/.
Etymology
From Old French fixation. By surface analysis, fix + -ation.