fetichist

A person who is a fetichist might keep a small carved figure on a special altar.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who engages in fetishism: A "fetichist" is an individual who practices fetishism, which involves the attribution of magical or spiritual power to an inanimate object (a fetish) and the worship or reverence of that object.
   • A person with a sexual fetish: In a broader, psychological sense, a "fetichist" is someone who experiences sexual fixation or arousal focused on a specific non-living object or body part.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The ancient tribe had a fetichist who led rituals involving carved wooden idols. (A person who worships a fetish object.)
  • Psychologists studied the behavior of the fetichist, who could only become aroused by a particular type of shoe. (A person with a sexual fetish.)

Advanced Usage

• "Fetichist as a collector": A fetichist may also refer to someone who obsessively collects specific objects due to their perceived symbolic value.
  • He was a fetichist of vintage watches, treating each one as a sacred relic. (He collected watches with obsessive reverence.)

Variants and Related Words

• Fetish (n): an object believed to have supernatural powers, or an object of obsessive focus.

  • The carved stone was considered a fetish by the local people. (A sacred object.)

• Fetishism (n): the belief in or practice of attributing magical power to objects; also, a psychological condition involving sexual fixation.

  • Fetishism is common in many traditional religions. (The practice of worshipping fetishes.)

• Fetishistic (adj): relating to or characteristic of fetishism.

  • Her fetishistic devotion to the old doll was unusual. (Exhibiting traits of fetishism.)

Synonyms

• Idolater: a person who worships idols or objects.
• Worshipper: someone who reveres a deity or object.
• Fetishizer: someone who treats an object with obsessive focus (often used in psychological contexts).

Related Idioms

• Make a fetish of something: to treat something with excessive or irrational devotion.
  • He makes a fetish of punctuality, never arriving a minute late. (He obsesses over being on time.)