anal
25
9.1
- adjective
- /ˈeɪnəl/
- Formal
:
puntilloso
- Yeah, I think they call that anal retentive.
- anal father
- anal sex
I mean, what was your let's go to your anal stage that came out wrong.
- I mean, what was your let's go to your anal stage that came out wrong.
Examples
-
It's just that I'm anal about that kind of thing.
-
"Oh, please!" Alan had to be the most anal-retentive person Lizzie knew.
Fiction book (2002) -
So you remember how anal he was about them, right?
-
Some people say detail guys are anal.
-
One of them must have an anal personality.
Fiction book (1993) -
I doubt whether you could remain anal retentive for very long.
Fiction book (1990) -
I'm what your average psychiatrist would call "anal-retentive."
-
Some act like it's a flaw, like I'm anal retentive or obsessive-compulsive.
Blog text (14) -
Children who are excessively anal about cleanliness may struggle with sharing toys.
-
His anal approach to organizing his desk made it the neatest in the office.
Synonyms
5
9.6
Very fussy about order and cleanliness
Compounds
- Offensive
11
7.3
Sexual activity when a person with a penis puts it into another person's anus
- Specialized
A stage in early childhood when a child learns to control their bowel movements and toilet use
- Specialized
A childhood stage when pleasure and conflict focus on toilet training and bowel and bladder control
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Anal in psychology comes from the same Latin anus, because Freud used it for a childhood stage focused on 'bowel control' and the 'anus'. That's why calling someone 'anal' can mean they are very tidy or controlling, as in anal-retentive.