anal

1 of 2

adjective

ˈā-nᵊl 

1

: of, relating to, situated near, or involving the anus

an anal fin

2

psychoanalytic theory

a

: of, relating to, characterized by, or being the stage of psychosexual development which follows the oral stage (see oral entry 1 sense 3) and during which the child is concerned especially with his or her feces

b

: of, relating to, characterized by, or being personality traits (such as parsimony, meticulousness, and ill humor) considered typical of fixation at the anal stage of development : anal-retentive

an anal disposition

—often used in nontechnical contexts to describe someone as extremely or excessively neat, careful, or precise

I have a mania for neatness in some matters that is almost anal.

—Joseph Heller

anally

ˈā-nᵊl-ē 

adverb

anal

2 of 2

abbreviation

1

analogy

2

analysis; analytic

Example Sentences

Adjective

He can be pretty anal about keeping his office neat.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Already have a yeast infection that brought on anal itching? —Women's Health, 17 Mar. 2023

The directors, a pair of music-video veterans whose chief thematic concerns were anal fixations and magic erections. —Vulture, 13 Mar. 2023

Changes to your pelvic floor can result in constipation and cause hemorrhoids.4 Hemorrhoids can also be a side effect of diarrhea, which can cause anal irritation and discomfort. —Caroline Chirichella, Health, 6 Mar. 2023

Enlarge / Close-up of the anal stylus used to fling pee droplets. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2023

Like a pump inflating balloons, sharpshooters form individual drops of pee on a flexible structure on their backside called an anal stylus. —Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 28 Feb. 2023

Human papillomavirus can cause deadly cervical cancer as well as vaginal, anal and penile cancer. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 4 Feb. 2023

There's a myth out there that lube is only for certain types of people who can't self-lubricate or anal play, but that couldn't be further from the truth. —Cristina Montemayor, Men's Health, 29 Dec. 2022

One former senior Iraqi official told his relative and cellmates that he had been forced to sit on a part from a car engine, an act that could constitute anal rape under Iraqi criminal law. —Mustafa Salim, Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from New Latin ānālis, from Latin ānus anus + -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing anal

• anal retentive
• anal-retentiveness

• anal retentive
• anal-retentiveness

Kids Definition

anal

adjective

ˈān-ᵊl

: of, relating to, situated near, or involving the anus

anally

-ᵊl-ē

adverb

Medical Definition

anal

1 of 2 adjective

ˈān-ᵊl 

1

: of, relating to, or situated near the anus

the anal opening

anal fissures

2

a

: of, relating to, or characterized by the stage of psychosexual development in psychoanalytic theory that follows the oral stage and during which a child derives libidinal gratification from the expulsion and retention of the feces and conflict arises from parental demands regarding toilet training

During the anal stage, from about 18 months to 3 years, the sphincter muscles become sensitive and controllable and bowel and bladder retention and elimination become a source of gratification.

—David G. Myers, Psychology

b

: of, relating to, or characterized by personality traits (as orderliness, frugality, and obstinacy) considered typical of fixation at the anal stage of development : anal-retentive

—often used in nontechnical contexts to describe someone as extremely or excessively neat, careful, or precise compare genital sense 3, oral sense 3, phallic sense 2

anally

-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

anal

2 of 2 abbreviation

1

analysis

2

analytic

3

analyze