Oedipus complex

noun

psychology : a sexual desire that a child feels toward the parent of the opposite sex along with jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex

Full Definition of OEDIPUS COMPLEX

: the positive libidinal feelings of a child toward the parent of the opposite sex and hostile or jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex that in Freudian psychoanalytic theory may be a source of adult personality disorder when unresolved

See Oedipus complex defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of OEDIPUS COMPLEX

1910

Rhymes with OEDIPUS COMPLEX

body mass index, cerebral cortex, Electra complex, misery index

Medical Dictionary

Oedipus complex

noun

Medical Definition of OEDIPUS COMPLEX

: a child's positive libidinal feelings toward the parent of the opposite sex and hostile or jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex that develop usually between the ages of three and six and that may be a source of adult personality disorder when unresolved—used especially of the male child; see electra complex

: the unresolved oedipal feelings persisting into adult life