FIXATING Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

fixating

verb

Definition of fixating next

present participle of fixate

as in staring

to look at or think about something constantly; to give all of your attention to something

—usually + on or upon The cat was fixated on a small hole in the wall. Why do journalists fixate on scandals?

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fixating Oral care has focused almost entirely on fluoride for decades, Hoss said, but fixating on any single ingredient misses the real drivers of oral health. —

Andrea Kane, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026 And one detail everyone is fixating on is Brooklyn Beckham’s claim that his mom, Victoria Beckham, danced inappropriately with him during his wedding to Nicola Peltz. —

Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 22 Jan. 2026 The benefit only kicks in when sensitivity is accompanied by the capacity for processing and moving on without fixating on the information. —

Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026 Many New Year’s resolutions fail not because people lack motivation, but because fixating on a goal can initiate a self-defeating cycle of avoidance. —

Richard A. Friedman, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026 Your task in 2026 is to stop fixating on how money will come and start embodying the version of yourself who already has it. —

Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 23 Dec. 2025 The boy grew restless during the screening, instead fixating on topics like his drawing skills or the lack of toys in the facility, according to his parents. —

Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Dec. 2025 Rather than remaining solely fixating on loafers, the releases are evolving with mash-up models like mary jane sneakers and Kith’s fusion of the Clarks Wallabee with Adidas technology. —

Riley Jones, Footwear News, 16 Dec. 2025 Parasocially fixating on microcelebrities who want their money. —

Daniel Kolitz, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fixating

Verb

When Ali Ansari was 12, living with his family in a single room at his aunt’s house in Woodland Hills, his immigrant mother told him to stop wasting time staring at his phone and try making money with it.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Shortly thereafter, the two women heard a loud bang and exited the bedroom to find Toth lying on the kitchen floor and staring blankly at the ceiling, the report said.

— Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026