Pretty Woman syndrome

noun

The situation in which young women are attracted to prostitution as a result of glamorous depictions in the media.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounPretty Woman syndrome (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe situation in which young women are attracted to prostitution as a result of glamorous depictions in the media.

Origin

In reference to the romantic comedy film Pretty Woman (1990), in which a wealthy businessman develops feelings for the prostitute he has hired to pose as his girlfriend.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Pretty Woman syndrome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pretty%20Woman%20syndrome

MLA

“Pretty Woman syndrome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pretty%20Woman%20syndrome. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Pretty Woman syndrome,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pretty%20Woman%20syndrome.

Source: Pretty Woman syndrome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.