# fetish

/ˈfɛtɪʃ/ (US) · /fˈɛtɪʃ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/fetish
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. sexual fixation

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a strong sexual interest in a specific object, material, or part of the body that is not usually considered sexual.

For teachers: a form of sexual desire in which gratification is linked to an abnormal degree to a particular object, item of clothing, or part of the body.

- He realized he had a leather fetish after buying his first motorcycle jacket.
- Psychologists distinguish between a mild preference for certain materials and a clinical fetish that becomes necessary for sexual arousal.

Usage: Often used with the preposition 'for'.

### 2. an obsession

noun · CEFR B2

an extremely strong interest in something that seems more important than it really is.

For teachers: an excessive or irrational commitment to or obsession with a particular activity, object, or idea.

- The boss has a fetish for punctuality and gets angry if you are one minute late.
- The modern fetish for data-driven results often ignores the qualitative human experience that numbers cannot capture.

Teaching tip: In this non-sexual sense, it is often used metaphorically to criticize someone's over-the-top focus on a rule or object.

### 3. magical object

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical · Formal

an object that people believe has magical or spiritual powers.

For teachers: an inanimate object worshipped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit.

- The museum displayed a wooden fetish used by the tribe for protection.
- Anthropologists observed how the community treated the carved stone as a protective fetish, offering it food during the harvest festival.

## Examples

- He has a strange fetish for vintage leather boots.
- The museum displayed a collection of wooden fetishes used by ancient tribes to protect their homes from bad luck.
- The anthropologist argued that the community's reverence for the ancient stone was not mere superstition but a complex fetish that anchored their entire social hierarchy.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.