pleasure principle

noun

: a tendency for individual behavior to be directed toward immediate satisfaction of instinctual drives and immediate relief from pain or discomfort

Examples of pleasure principle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The pleasure principle lights you up with Venus in Sagittarius! USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024 Especially at this time of year, the pleasure principle holds true, even when it’s stretched as thin as the pastry around a loup en croûte. Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023 Taurus season is ready to reinvigorate your pleasure principle. USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2023 His life is dominated by the pleasure principle…at least until someone gets hurt. Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 12 Dec. 2022 The drivers—twinky teen-agers with thick accents and hard bodies—take us with them beyond the pleasure principle. The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2020 At the other: Christopher Kane progressing his personal obsession with the pleasure principle of human sexuality, making clothes which haven’t been seen before. Sarah Mower, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pleasure principle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pleasure principle was in 1856

Dictionary Entries Near pleasure principle

Cite this Entry

“Pleasure principle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pleasure%20principle. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

pleasure principle

noun
: a tendency for individual behavior to be directed toward immediate satisfaction of instinctual drives and immediate relief from pain or discomfort compare reality principle

More from Merriam-Webster on pleasure principle

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