libidinal

American  

[li-bid-n-l] / lɪˈbɪd n l /

adjective

1. Psychoanalysis. relating to the libido, all of the instinctual energies and desires derived from the id, an unconscious part of the psyche.

   This task of “behaving oneself” is always done through control of the libidinal excesses.

   A person preoccupied with excessive libidinal energy cannot shift focus from their own pressing needs to responsibilities involving other people.

2. of or relating to the sexual instinct or drive.

   Individuals may marry for many reasons, including legal, social, libidinal, emotional, financial, and religious considerations.

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Other Word Forms

• libidinally adverb

Etymology

Origin of libidinal

First recorded in 1922; from Latin libīdin- (stem of libīdo libido ( def. ) ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

The historian Gordon Fraser calls it the "libidinal pleasures of paranoia" and traces the impulse from the "Illuminati Crisis" in 1798 to Pizzagate in 2016.

From Salon • Oct. 28, 2022

A sunny folk-influenced quartet whose fresh-faced image and effervescent pop songs stood in marked contrast to the libidinal frenzy of 1960s rock, the Seekers sold an estimated 50 million singles and albums worldwide.

From New York Times • Aug. 9, 2022

Young Goetzman once sold a water bed to famed hairdresser-turned-Hollywood producer Jon Peters, an anecdote Anderson spins into careening scenes of fiction featuring Bradley Cooper, who plays Peters as a libidinal, wild-eyed dervish.

From Washington Post • Dec. 22, 2021

On the whole, the narrator suffers from a breed of Holden Caulfield syndrome — fueled by the libidinal charge of anger and indignation — but his author lacks Salinger’s grace and control.

From New York Times • Sep. 21, 2018

Such a limitation of narcissism can, according to our theoretical views, only be produced by one factor, a libidinal tie with other people.

From Group Psychology and The Analysis of The Ego by Freud, Sigmund