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Glite Dictionary
👪 Parent rivalry 🏛️ Greek myth theme

Oedipal

5 9.9
Showing a strong emotional bond or rivalry with a parent, often the opposite sex
  • adjective
  • /ˈɛdɪpəl/
  • NSFW
translation icon : edípico
  • The preschool period (the Oedipal period) might be the worst time for the child to lose a father by divorce.
  • Oedipal conflict
  • Oedipal complex
  • Oedipal pathology

Examples

  • The problems with Shana were more than just the Oedipal phase of puberty.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Does this look like Oedipal jealousy?

    The Manhattan Project (1986)

  • It's like an Oedipal complex except it's for girls.

    The Spirit (2008)

  • So much for the Oedipal struggle.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Is it just me, or is there a lot of Oedipal hostility in this family?

    Blog text (29)

  • Maybe some unresolved Oedipal conflict.

    Analyze This (1999)

  • There may have been some unresolved Oedipal conflict.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • You're becoming an Oedipal enabler, you know that?

    Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

  • You're a narcissist with Oedipal issues.

    This Is Where I Leave You (2014)

  • Freud's theories suggest that many adult relationships are influenced by unresolved Oedipal issues from childhood.

Compounds

Oedipal complex
  • NSFW
1 9.9

A child's strong sexual feelings for a parent of the opposite sex and anger toward the same-sex parent

How Attached

Oedipal
  • NSFW
5 9.9
clingy
  • Informal
27 4.8
attached
3.7
distant
61 4.9
indifferent
46 4.4

Surface Forms

Oedipal positive

Morphology

Oedipal = Oedipus (semi-transparent) = Oedipus + al

The form clearly means 'relating to Oedipus,' but the psychoanalytic sense depends on a specialized Freudian theory rather than everyday compositional meaning.

Etymology

Oedipal comes from the Greek king Oedipus, who without knowing killed his father and married his mother, so the word now describes a 'strong emotional attraction or rivalry' toward a parent.