mental masturbation
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈmɛn.təl ˌmæstəˈbeɪ.ʃən/
- Offensive
:
masturbación intelectual
- So all this advice to him is really a form of mental masturbation.
And I think that mental masturbation and the sort of cerebral game that a lot of people can play, it does lead to an action.
- And I think that mental masturbation and the sort of cerebral game that a lot of people can play, it does lead to an action.
Examples
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Stop the mental masturbation and get involved.
Blog text (10) -
Nothing but mental masturbation, as no evidence is presented.
Blog text (3) -
Stop engaging in mental masturbation and trying to convince yourself that either one is better than the other.
Blog text (20) -
I love science, but I dislike mental masturbation.
Blog text (7) -
Is reading Hofstadter just mental masturbation?
Blog text (20) -
The debate quickly turned into mental masturbation with no practical solutions offered.
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He realized that engaging in mental masturbation was preventing him from making real progress.
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Many hours of discussion ended up being just mental masturbation, leaving important problems unaddressed.
Synonyms
Long, pointless thinking or talking that only shows off knowledge
Antonyms
How Useful
8
3.8
5
3.7
133
6.3
288
4.8
- Offensive
1
9.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
mental + masturbation
The phrase maps a concrete, sexual action ('masturbation') metaphorically onto cognition ('mental'), so a learner who knows both words can plausibly infer 'self-indulgent or pointless intellectual activity' from the parts. However the sense is metaphorical/taboo and carries pragmatic nuance that is not strictly compositional or universally used, so full understanding of register and precise meaning often requires prior exposure.
Etymology
Mental masturbation uses a strong picture: mental (the mind) plus masturbation (the act of pleasing oneself) to show thinking that only feels good to the thinker and does nothing useful. That's why it means 'long, self-indulgent thinking that does not lead to action'.