exhibitionism

American  

[ek-suh-bish-uh-niz-uhm] / ˌɛk səˈbɪʃ əˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. a tendency to display one's abilities or to behave in such a way as to attract attention.

2. Psychiatry. a disorder characterized especially by a compulsion to exhibit the genitals in public.

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exhibitionism British  

/ ˌɛksɪˈbɪʃəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. a compulsive desire to attract attention to oneself, esp by absurd or exaggerated behaviour or boasting

2. psychiatry a compulsive desire to expose one's genital organs publicly

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Other Word Forms

• exhibitionist noun
• exhibitionistic adjective
• nonexhibitionism noun

Etymology

Origin of exhibitionism

First recorded in 1890–95; exhibition + -ism

Example Sentences

But, if protesting is just fruitless exhibitionism, as Teddy claims, and radical acts of direct action don’t seem to work any better, what is there to do if no one will listen?

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025

Most of the mental health stuff that you see is exhibitionism.

From Slate • Feb. 28, 2023

Or, as the NFL described it several decades ago, an “unrestrained dance … deemed to be contrived exhibitionism that has no place in the sport.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 4, 2022

I feel I captured a genuine moment hidden inside his obvious exhibitionism.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2021

The impulse to exhibitionism has only developed in recent years.

From Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 5 Erotic Symbolism; The Mechanism of Detumescence; The Psychic State in Pregnancy by Ellis, Havelock