oedipal

American  

[ed-uh-puhl, ee-duh-] / ˈɛd ə pəl, ˈi də- /

adjective

(often initial capital letter)

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

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Etymology

Origin of oedipal

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

Example Sentences

Scholars have long dismissed the hack analysis that George W. Bush was driven by Oedipal issues or Halliburton.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Rather than slotting in as a “horror” film, it can be categorized a little less neatly as a surreal three-hour Homeric odyssey about Jewish guilt, Oedipal angst and somebody named “Birthday Boy Stab Man.”

From Seattle Times • Apr. 21, 2023

Part of what will make the fast-approaching Oedipal primary season so damned entertaining is the relative humorlessness of people like Mr. DeSantis and Mrs. Haley.

From Washington Times • Feb. 20, 2023

Instead, I thought of Edward Albee, for the merciless wit, and Sophocles, for the Oedipal anxiety.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2022

The drama might have taken on an intriguingly Oedipal edge if the filmmakers had thought to bring back, say, Meg Ryan as Carole, Goose’s wife and Rooster’s mother.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2022