fetishism
noun
fe·tish·ism
ˈfe-ti-ˌshi-zəm 
also ˈfē-
variants
or less commonly fetichism
1
: belief in magical fetishes
2
: extravagant irrational devotion
3
: the pathological displacement of erotic interest and satisfaction to a fetish
Examples of fetishism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Marx’s terminology, this is a form of capital fetishism.
—
Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
Often overlooked and also categorized with fetishism (also known as axilism), armpits are sensitive to both light and firm touch.
—Essence, 11 Sep. 2025
There’s a twisted wit to the setup here, as Kolstad takes real trends in American life — economic stagnation, rising tribalism, gun fetishism — and follows them to their corrupt, violent end points.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
This can be an attractive pitch in an era of overflowing data fetishism, as the critic Ben David has observed.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for fetishism
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Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
Often overlooked and also categorized with fetishism (also known as axilism), armpits are sensitive to both light and firm touch.
—Essence, 11 Sep. 2025
There’s a twisted wit to the setup here, as Kolstad takes real trends in American life — economic stagnation, rising tribalism, gun fetishism — and follows them to their corrupt, violent end points.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
This can be an attractive pitch in an era of overflowing data fetishism, as the critic Ben David has observed.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for fetishism
Cite this Entry
“Fetishism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetishism. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
fetishism
noun
fe·tish·ism
variants
also fetichism
: the pathological displacement of erotic interest and satisfaction to a fetish
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