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  • anal
    anal
    adjective
    of, relating to, involving, or near the anus.
  • anal.
    anal.
    abbreviation
    analogous.
Synonyms

anal

1 American  
[eyn-l] / ˈeɪn l /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, involving, or near the anus.

    anal cancer.

  2. Psychoanalysis.

    1. of or relating to the second stage of psychosexual development, during which gratification is derived from the retention or expulsion of feces.

    2. of or relating to an anal character.

    3. of or relating to gratification derived from stimulation of the anus.

      the pleasurable sensations of anal eroticism.
anal. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. analogous.

  2. analogy.

  3. analysis.

  4. analytic.

anal British  
/ ˈeɪnəl /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or near the anus

  2. psychoanal

    1. relating to a stage of psychosexual development during which the child's interest is concentrated on the anal region and excremental functions

    2. designating personality traits in the adult, such as orderliness, meanness, stubbornness, etc, due to fixation at the anal stage of development Compare genital oral phallic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of anal

First recorded in 1760–70; an(us) + -al 1

Explanation

Technically, anything anal has to do with your anus, although you'll probably hear it more often to describe someone with a really meticulous, type-A personality. If you've ever heard someone described as anal retentive, you may already know that term means someone is fussy, orderly, and compulsive. Anal things have to do with the anus. The anal stage of childhood occurs when kids are extremely fascinated with their anus. To take the temperature of an infant, a doctor might need to use an anal thermometer.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Anal cancer is rare, with about 1,500 people diagnosed in the UK each year, approximately 40-50 of those cases are from Northern Ireland.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

In fact, Deshmukh contributed to the recent International Anal Neoplasia Society's consensus guidelines, published in January.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2024

“You can play until you’re 100,” said 64-year-old Anal Shah, the coach and non-playing captain of the Indian women’s team.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2023

Question 5 New Zealand last week added "Lucifer," "Anal," and "4Real" to its list of banned what?

From Slate • May 10, 2013

Anal siphon: the anal breathing tube of Culicid larvae.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.