Electra complex

American

[ih-lek-truh kom-pleks] / ɪˈlɛk trə ˌkɒm plɛks /

noun

Psychoanalysis.

a daughter's unconscious sexual desire directed toward her father, usually originating in childhood: designation based on the Greek myth of Electra and Agamemnon.

Electra complex British

noun

psychoanal the sexual attachment of a female child to her father See also penis envy

"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

Etymology

Origin of Electra complex

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

From the very beginning she was surly with me, and she didn’t have to worry about getting over any Electra complex, because she never had one.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

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