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In Greek mythology, the king of Thebes, in response to a dreadful prophecy, abandoned his infant son Oedipus, who was then brought up by shepherds. Grown to manhood, Oedipus slew his father almost accidentally, not recognizing him, and then married his mother. When the shameful truth was discovered, the mother committed suicide and Oedipus blinded himself and went into exile. The psychiatrist Sigmund Freud invented the term Oedipus complex to mean a sexual desire that a child normally feels toward the parent of the opposite sex, along with jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex. In Freud's theory (not accepted by everyone today), lingering oedipal feelings are an essential source of adult personality disorder, and can result in choosing a spouse who closely resembles your father or mother.
Examples of oedipal in a Sentence
David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2022
No sooner had Schary been installed at MGM than a classic oedipal-generational battle of sensibilities ensued.
—Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2022
His own emotional issues mean that The Boys are not the only casualty, though, as Homelander ultimately kills his own boss and oedipal mother figure, Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue), the one time VP of Vought International.
—Rosie Knight, refinery29.com, 7 Sep. 2020
And that his own alienation (that state of mind shared by so many DeLillo protagonists) has roots in this Oedipal conflict.
Mr. DeLillo’s depiction of the Convergence compound will trigger all sorts of associations for the reader.
—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2016
This is an incredibly art directed Oedipal tale with a lot of long pauses.
—Jordan Crucchiola, WIRED, 24 Sep. 2015
Cite this Entry
“Oedipal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oedipal. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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