oedipal

[ed-uh-puhl, ee-duh-]

adjective

(often initial capital letter)

1. of, characterized by, or resulting from the Oedipus complex.

Word History and Origins

Origin of oedipal¹

First recorded in 1935–40; Oedip(us complex) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

The young artist, in an audacious shot across the art world bow, was engaged in a symbolic act of Oedipal homicide.

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But denial buys time for a protagonist who’s too busy acting out his Oedipal fantasies to grapple with difficult realities.

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The charged Oedipal dynamics between them are vividly fleshed out.

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That Darth Vader revelation altered the drama from political animosity to Oedipal mythos.

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A sketch not featuring Chalamet, a mock commercial for “Oedipal Arrangements,” made the case for taking one’s relationship with their mother to, uh … the next level.

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