1
: of or relating to phallicism
a phallic cult
2
: of, relating to, or resembling a phallus
3
: relating to or being the stage of psychosexual development in psychoanalytic theory that follows the anal stage and during which a child becomes interested in his or her own sexual organs
Examples of phallic in a Sentence
The poem is filled with phallic imagery.
an ancient Greek phallic symbol representing fertility
Recent Examples on the Web
In Tom Holland’s Fright Night, there’s no lurking in the shadows, and the phallic imagery is hard to miss.
—
Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
The video published in June 2024 was also a trend across the state line, where the Missouri Department of Revenue rejected 22 unique configurations of letters and numbers meant to reference the phallic slogan.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
At about the same time that Jana Euler was painting phallic sharks, Stricker was making small canvases that gingerly explored the subject of the sleeping male nude.
—Moritz Scheper, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
Alien’s power lies in the ineffable terror of H.R. Giger’s toothy, phallic nightmare; the Xenomorph crawls deep into brain folds because its troubling shape is so difficult to grasp.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phallic
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Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
The video published in June 2024 was also a trend across the state line, where the Missouri Department of Revenue rejected 22 unique configurations of letters and numbers meant to reference the phallic slogan.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
At about the same time that Jana Euler was painting phallic sharks, Stricker was making small canvases that gingerly explored the subject of the sleeping male nude.
—Moritz Scheper, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
Alien’s power lies in the ineffable terror of H.R. Giger’s toothy, phallic nightmare; the Xenomorph crawls deep into brain folds because its troubling shape is so difficult to grasp.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phallic
Cite this Entry
“Phallic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phallic. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
phallic
adjective
phal·lic
ˈfal-ik 
1
: of, relating to, or resembling a penis
2
: of, relating to, or characterized by the stage of psychosexual development in psychoanalytic theory following the anal stage and during which a child becomes interested in his or her own sexual organs compare anal sense 2, genital sense 3, oral sense 3
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