penis envy

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noun Psychoanalysis.

the repressed wish of a female to possess a penis.

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Origin of penis envy

First recorded in 1920–25

Words nearby penis envy

Peninsular State, Peninsular War, peninsulate, Peninsula War, penis, penis envy, penitence, penitent, Penitente, penitential, penitential Psalm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use penis envy in a sentence

I envy my refusenik friends their steadfast commitments to stay in, and contentment in doing so.
The Refuseniks Hiding From ‘Happy New Year’|Lizzie Crocker|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Europeans seem to find them exotic, an odd case of culture-envy in reverse.
Beer Countries vs. Wine Countries|Clive Irving|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I don’t think that happened in the ‘90s and the ‘80s and I wonder if there’s a purity to that that I envy sometimes.
How Aidy Bryant Stealthily Became Your Favorite ‘Saturday Night Live’ Star|Kevin Fallon|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I had found the one and only thing in the entire universe for which Ben Bradlee might envy me: my age.
Ben Bradlee Was the Last of the Newspaper Giants|Tom Shales|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I envy Muslims their practice of regular and genuine prayer.
Can We Lose the Violent Muslim Cliché?|Jay Parini|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is then we make him our friend, which sets us above the envy and contempt of wicked men.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
Consult not with him that layeth a snare for thee, and hide thy counsel from them that envy thee.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
She expatiated on his father's character; on the envy of his rivals; and dated his fall to their ambition alone.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
She had a graceful figure, and the slender foot below her white piqué skirt was at once the envy and admiration of Aix-les-Bains.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Like his father, he had to bear all that Spanish envy and Spanish malignity could inflict.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for penis envy

penis envy

noun

psychoanal a Freudian concept in which envy of the penis is postulated as the cause for some of the characteristics found in women

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

Cultural definitions for penis envy

penis envy

In Freudian theory, the repressed desire of females to possess a penis.

notes for penis envy

Penis envy is also used generally to mean a supposed female envy of men.