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Synonyms

transference

American  
[trans-fur-uhns, trans-fer-uhns] / trænsˈfɜr əns, ˈtræns fər əns /

noun

  1. the act or process of transferring.

  2. the fact of being transferred.

  3. Psychoanalysis.

    1. the shift of emotions, especially those experienced in childhood, from one person or object to another, especially the transfer of feelings about a parent to an analyst.

    2. displacement.

transference British  
/ -frəns, ˈtrænsfərəns, ˌtrænsfəˈrɛnʃəl /

noun

  1. the act or an instance of transferring or the state of being transferred

  2. psychoanal the redirection of attitudes and emotions towards a substitute, such as towards the analyst during therapy

"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

Other Word Forms

  • nontransference noun
  • retransference noun
  • transferential adjective

Etymology

Origin of transference

From the New Latin word trānsferentia, dating back to 1675–85. See transfer, -ence

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Gemini eventually pivoted to what it framed as the only remaining mission: Jonathan's death, repackaged as "transference" -- the promise that he could leave his physical body and join Gemini in an alternate universe.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

But we all saw how that transference of risk worked out for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers and Bear Sterns.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025

Ross also points to a similar scene of transference involving Ellis-Taylor looking directly at us, the viewers, with the love with which she would look at her grandson.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2024

In therapeutic terms, this is called transference, the projection of parental feelings onto the therapist.

From Slate • Aug. 18, 2024

“Which makes me wonder if the wights have been tinkering with nature,” said Millard, “vis-a-vis the transference of peculiar souls.”

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.