Definition of penis envy
: the supposed coveting of the penis by a young human female which is held in Freudian psychoanalytic theory to lead to feelings of inferiority and defensive or compensatory behavior
Learn More About penis envy
Statistics for penis envy
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Penis envy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penis%20envy. Accessed 27 May. 2022.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
More Definitions for penis envy
penis envy
noun
penis en·vy
| \ -ˌen-vē
\
\
Medical Definition of penis envy
: the supposed coveting of the penis by a young human female which is held in Freudian psychoanalytic theory to lead to feelings of inferiority and defensive or compensatory behavior
Test Your Vocabulary
Eponyms: Words Named After People
-
- What is the best definition of boycott?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
-
You're (Probably) Saying It Wrong
18 words even you might be mispronouncing
-
Great Big List of Beautiful & Useless Words
Along with their degrees of usefulness
-
12 French Phrases from Downton Abbey
Many of us have an 'idée fixe'
-
Rare and Amusing Insults, Volume 2
Sometimes a 'cacafuego' can be a real 'slubberdeg...
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
What’s on the Menu?
Sink your teeth into these questions about food.
Take the quiz
-
The Great British Vocabulary Quiz
Make sure you know the difference between a loo a...
Take the quiz
-
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz
"Most Likely to Use Obscure Words"
Take the quiz
-
Lexigo
Find the hidden words by solving the clues
Take the quiz
Share penis envy
Time Traveler for penis envy
The first known use of penis envy was in 1924
See more words from the same year