English Explanatory Dictionary

anal-retentive

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Preoccupied with achieving perfection, order and control and with collecting, possessing, and retaining objects.
  2. Overly obsessive concerning small details.

Pronunciation

En-au-anal_retentive.ogg

Word forms

anal-retentive more anal-retentive most anal-retentive

Etymology

From anal + retentive. First use appears c. 1936 in the writings of Marjorie Brierley.

Synonyms

anal

Derived words

anal-retentiveness
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