phallic

adjective

phal·​lic ˈfa-lik 

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

phallically

ˈfa-li-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

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

That’s why the title Henry Johnson suggests the industrial pioneer Henry Ford, combined with phallic slang. —Armond White, National Review, 14 May 2025

It was announced today on CBS Mornings that King’s trip on one of Jeff Bezos’s phallic Blue Origin rockets will lift off on April 14 at 9:30 a.m. ET. —Tom Smyth, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2025

Some sprouted phallic candles, which seemed to suggest a vigil for and of the flesh, while other limbs were penetrated by lesion-like sink drains. —Zoë Lescaze, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025

The rocks are very phallic, with fleshy tones and skin-like wrinkles. —Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek phallikós "of or relating to a phallus," from phallós phallus + -ikos -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for phallic

• alack
• gallic
• hallock
• malic
• malik
• salic
• sialic
• bimetallic
• nonmetallic
• brachycephalic
• intermetallic
• polymetallic

Medical 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