anal personality
[ (ayn-l) ]
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A popular term for “anal retentive personality,” a personality marked by excessive orderliness, extreme meticulousness, and often suspicion and reserve. According to psychoanalysis, an anal personality is formed in early childhood as a result of efforts to control bowel movements. (See anal stage, genital stage, and oral stage; compare oral personality.)
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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Words nearby anal personality
analog watch, analogy, analogy test, anal orifice, anal pecten, anal personality, analphabet, analphabetic, anal phase, anal pit, anal plate
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.