Meanings
plural Freudian slips
- human sciencesA mistake in speech or action in which a person supposedly shows their true subconscious desires.
After reviewing a tape of a newscast done by our candidate, in my enthusiasm I made my Freudian slip
1989 November 29, Robert Bianco, “Memo by WPXI staffers alleges offensive remark by news director”, in The Pittsburgh Press, page D125 more examples
After disposing of these general topics in a chapter entitled "The Manners of All Men" (but which, by some Freudian slip, we suppose, deals chiefly with 'The Impure Man')
1936, John G. Jenkins, “The Anatomy of Personality”, in Psychological Bulletin, volume 33, number 8, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 667–669Film has in fact enriched our world of perception, with methods which could be illustrated by Freudian theory. A Freudian slip in conversation would occur fifty years ago more or less unnoticed.
1938, Dennis Redmond, transl., The Work of Art in the Epoch of its Technical Reproducibility, translation of original by Walter Benjamin, archived from the original on 05 Mar 2016I always felt I was doing a bit of bluffing. I wondered the same when he referred to some of, his ideas being "away with the pixies", Freudian slip or did he intend[…]
1989 April 11, Barbara Hooks, “Comedy finds balance that avoids prejudice”, in The Age, page 14In response to several other questions posed by the panel, Ann Biggot proclaimed that she had no fear of reprisal for her testimony, but every so often a Freudian slip would break out from her careful answers.
1993, Ruth M. Sprague, Wild JusticeYou know, folks, that’s the America that George Bush has left us. And that’s the America we’ll continue to get if George – excuse me, if John McCain is elected president of the United States of America. Freudian slip. Freudian slip.
2015 April 28, Martin Shovel, quoting Joe Biden, “I'm sorry, I'll say that again – the rhetorical trick of metanoia”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 09 Jan 2024Synonyms: parapraxis
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA mistake in speech or action in which a person supposedly shows their true subconscious desires.
Origin
Named after Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (1856–1939).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُنْزَلَق فْرُويْد, زَلّة فْرُويْد
- مُنْزَلَق فْرُويْد (munzalaq frūyd)subconscious mistake in speech or action
- زَلّة فْرُويْدsubconscious mistake in speech or action
- هَفْوَة (hafwa)subconscious mistake in speech or action
Bulgarian неволна грешка
- неволна грешка (nevolna greška)subconscious mistake in speech or action
Catalan acte fallit
- acte fallitsubconscious mistake in speech or action
Chinese Cantonese 鬼拍後尾枕 /鬼拍后尾枕
- 鬼拍後尾枕 /鬼拍后尾枕 (gwai² paak³ hau⁶ mei⁵ zam²)subconscious mistake in speech or action
Chinese Mandarin 無意中說出心裡話 /无意中说出心里话, 漏嘴
- 無意中說出心裡話 /无意中说出心里话 (wúyìzhōng shuōchū xīnlǐhuà)subconscious mistake in speech or action
- 漏嘴 (lòuzuǐ)subconscious mistake in speech or action
- 口誤 /口误 (kǒuwù)subconscious mistake in speech or action
- 失言 (shīyán)subconscious mistake in speech or action
- 弗洛伊德式錯誤 /弗洛伊德式错误 (Fúluòyīdé shì cuòwù)subconscious mistake in speech or action
- 動作倒錯 /动作倒错 (dòngzuò dàocuò)subconscious mistake in speech or action
Czech freudovské přeřeknutí
- freudovské přeřeknutísubconscious mistake in speech or action
Dutch freudiaanse verspreking
- freudiaanse versprekingsubconscious mistake in speech or action
Estonian alateadlik eksitus
- alateadlik eksitussubconscious mistake in speech or action
Finnish freudilainen lipsahdus
- freudilainen lipsahdussubconscious mistake in speech or action
French lapsus révélateur, acte manqué
- lapsus révélateursubconscious mistake in speech or action
- acte manquésubconscious mistake in speech or action
German Freudscher Fehler, Freudsche Fehlleistung
- Freudscher Fehlersubconscious mistake in speech or action
- Freudsche Fehlleistungsubconscious mistake in speech or action
- Freudscher Versprechersubconscious mistake in speech or action
Greek παραπραξία
- παραπραξία (parapraxía)subconscious mistake in speech or action
Hebrew טָעוּת פְרוֹיְדְּיָאנִית, פְּשִׁיטַת פֶּה פְרוֹיְדְּיָאנִית
- טָעוּת פְרוֹיְדְּיָאנִית (ta'út froydyánit)subconscious mistake in speech or action
- פְּשִׁיטַת פֶּה פְרוֹיְדְּיָאנִית (pshitát pe froydyánit)subconscious mistake in speech or action
- מַעֲשֶׂה כֶּשֶׁל (ma'asé késhel)subconscious mistake in speech or action
Hungarian freudi elszólás
- freudi elszólássubconscious mistake in speech or action
Irish sciorradh Freudach, giorradh Freudach
- sciorradh Freudachsubconscious mistake in speech or action
- giorradh Freudachsubconscious mistake in speech or action
Italian lapsus, lapsus freudiano
- lapsussubconscious mistake in speech or action
- lapsus freudianosubconscious mistake in speech or action
- atto mancatosubconscious mistake in speech or action
Japanese フロイト的失言
- フロイト的失言 (Furoido-teki shitsugen)subconscious mistake in speech or action
Persian لغزش زبان
- لغزش زبان (loġazeš zabân)subconscious mistake in speech or action
Polish freudowska pomyłka
- freudowska pomyłkasubconscious mistake in speech or action
Portuguese ato falho, ato falhado
- ato falhosubconscious mistake in speech or action
- ato falhadosubconscious mistake in speech or action
- lapso freudianosubconscious mistake in speech or action
Punjabi ਜੀਭ ਦੀ ਤਿਲਕਣ
- ਜੀਭ ਦੀ ਤਿਲਕਣ (jībh dī tilkaṇ)subconscious mistake in speech or action
Romanian act ratat
- act ratatsubconscious mistake in speech or action
Russian огово́рка по Фре́йду
- огово́рка по Фре́йду (ogovórka po Fréjdu)subconscious mistake in speech or action
Spanish acto fallido, desliz freudiano
- acto fallidosubconscious mistake in speech or action
- desliz freudianosubconscious mistake in speech or action
- lapsus reveladorsubconscious mistake in speech or action
- parapraxissubconscious mistake in speech or action
Swedish freudiansk felsägning
- freudiansk felsägningsubconscious mistake in speech or action
Turkish Freudyen sürçme
- Freudyen sürçmesubconscious mistake in speech or action
Ukrainian обмо́вка за Фро́йдом
- обмо́вка за Фро́йдом (obmóvka za Frójdom)subconscious mistake in speech or action
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with Freudian slip
All rhymes →Cite this entry
Freudian slip. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Freudian%20slip
“Freudian slip.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Freudian%20slip. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Freudian slip,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Freudian%20slip.
Source: Freudian slip on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.