Meanings
plural Oedipus complexes
- human sciencesIn Freudian theory, the complex of emotions aroused in a child by an unconscious sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex.
He never palliated his villainy, never helped old ladies across the street to show that he was a sweet kid au fond or prated about his Oedipus complex like the Percy boys who portray heavies today.
1957, S[idney] J[oseph] Perelman, “Cloudland Revisited: Vintage Swine”, in The Road to Miltown: Or, Under the Spreading Atrophy (A Touchstone Book), 1st Touchstone paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, published 1971, →ISBN, page 88
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna complex of males; desire to possess the mother sexually and to exclude the father; said to be a source of personality disorders if unresolved
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Named after the hero Oedipus in Greek mythology, who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan complex d'Èdip
- complex d'ÈdipFreudian theory
Chinese Mandarin 戀母情結 /恋母情结
- 戀母情結 /恋母情结 (liànmǔqíngjié)Freudian theory
Czech oidipovský komplex
- oidipovský komplexFreudian theory
Danish ødipuskompleks
- ødipuskompleksFreudian theory
Esperanto Edipa konflikto
- Edipa konfliktoFreudian theory
Finnish oidipuskompleksi
- oidipuskompleksiFreudian theory
French complexe d’Œdipe
- complexe d’ŒdipeFreudian theory
German Ödipuskomplex, Ödipuskonflikt
- ÖdipuskomplexFreudian theory
- ÖdipuskonfliktFreudian theory
Greek Οιδιπόδειο σύμπλεγμα
- Οιδιπόδειο σύμπλεγμα (Oidipódeio sýmplegma)Freudian theory
Irish coimpléacs Éideapúis
- coimpléacs ÉideapúisFreudian theory
Japanese エディプスコンプレックス
- エディプスコンプレックス (Edipusu-konpurekkusu)Freudian theory
Norwegian ødipuskompleks
- ødipuskompleksFreudian theory
Polish kompleks Edypa
- kompleks EdypaFreudian theory
Portuguese complexo de Édipo
- complexo de ÉdipoFreudian theory
Russian эди́пов ко́мплекс
- эди́пов ко́мплекс (edípov kómpleks)Freudian theory
Spanish complejo de Edipo
- complejo de EdipoFreudian theory
Swedish oidipuskomplex
- oidipuskomplexFreudian theory
Turkish Ödipus karmaşası, Ödipus kompleksi
- Ödipus karmaşasıFreudian theory
- Ödipus kompleksiFreudian theory
- Ödipal karmaşaFreudian theory
Yiddish עדיפּוס קאָמפּלעקס
- עדיפּוס קאָמפּלעקס (edipus kompleks)Freudian theory
Cite this entry
Oedipus complex. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oedipus%20complex
“Oedipus complex.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oedipus%20complex. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Oedipus complex,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oedipus%20complex.
Source: Oedipus complex on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.