Dorian Gray effect

noun

The phenomenon whereby a person's inner moods and emotions may come to influence their facial appearance.

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Meanings

nounDorian Gray effect (plural Dorian Gray effects)

plural Dorian Gray effects

  1. The phenomenon whereby a person's inner moods and emotions may come to influence their facial appearance.

Origin

In reference to Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), describing a handsome young man who envies his own portrait and wishes that it would grow old, rather than he.

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Cite this entry
APA

Dorian Gray effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dorian%20Gray%20effect

MLA

“Dorian Gray effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dorian%20Gray%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Dorian Gray effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dorian%20Gray%20effect.

Source: Dorian Gray effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.