anal
adjective
\ ˈā-nᵊl
\
\
Definition of anal
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: of, relating to, situated near, or involving the anus
an anal fin
2 psychoanalytic theory
a
: of, relating to, characterized by, or being the stage of psychosexual development which follows the oral stage (see oral entry 1 sense 3) and during which the child is concerned especially with his or her feces
b
: of, relating to, characterized by, or being personality traits (such as parsimony, meticulousness, and ill humor) considered typical of fixation at the anal stage of development : anal-retentive
an anal disposition
—often used in nontechnical contexts to describe someone as extremely or excessively neat, careful, or precise I have a mania for neatness in some matters that is almost anal.— Joseph Heller
anal
abbreviationKeep scrolling for more
Other Words from anal
Adjective
anally
\ -nᵊl-ē
\
adverb
\
adverb
Examples of anal in a Sentence
Adjective
He can be pretty anal about keeping his office neat.Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Mostly, the story is just scant scaffolding on which to hang cheerfully crass jokes about Stranger Things, anal beads, and cocaine. — Joey Nolfi, EW.com, "From Midsommar's director's cut to Don't Let Go, 13 movies to see this Labor Day weekend," 30 Aug. 2019 The warrants and other charging documents against Averett have not been uploaded to the online court system but authorities tell AL.com the boy suffered severe head trauma, as well as genital and anal tearing. — Carol Robinson | [email protected], al, "Man denies sexually torturing horrifically injured toddler," 25 July 2019 The warrants and other charging documents against Averett have not been uploaded to the online court system but authorities tell AL.com the boy suffered severe head trauma, as well as genital and anal tearing. — Carol Robinson | [email protected], al, "Man denies sexually torturing horrifically injured toddler," 25 July 2019 The warrants and other charging documents against Averett have not been uploaded to the online court system but authorities tell AL.com the boy suffered severe head trauma, as well as genital and anal tearing. — Carol Robinson | [email protected], al, "Man denies sexually torturing horrifically injured toddler," 25 July 2019 In the United States, two out every 100,000 people are diagnosed with anal cancer each year. — Ritoban Mukherjee, Quartz, "American doctors don’t know how to treat LGBTQ+ cancer patients," 25 July 2019 The warrants and other charging documents against Averett have not been uploaded to the online court system but authorities tell AL.com the boy suffered severe head trauma, as well as genital and anal tearing. — Carol Robinson | [email protected], al.com, "Toddler fighting for his life after sexual torture; Shelby County man jailed," 24 July 2019 In addition to being imprisoned, some were subjected to forced anal exams, according to Human Rights Watch. — NBC News, "Tinder introduces safety feature to protect LGBTQ travelers," 24 July 2019 Credit where credit is due, though: America invented the 3D-printable anal pneumatic base for psychophysiology research. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "The Strange Saga of the Butt Plug Turned Research Device," 11 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for anal
anal
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of anal
biology
: of, relating to, or located near the anus
informal
: extremely or overly neat, careful, or precise
See the full definition for anal in the English Language Learners Dictionary
anal
adjective
\ ˈā-nᵊl\
Kids Definition of anal
: relating to the anus
anal
adjective
\ ˈān-ᵊl
\
\
Medical Definition of anal
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: of, relating to, or situated near the anus
the anal opening anal fissures
2a
: of, relating to, or characterized by the stage of psychosexual development in psychoanalytic theory that follows the oral stage and during which a child derives libidinal gratification from the expulsion and retention of the feces and conflict arises from parental demands regarding toilet training
During the anal stage, from about 18 months to 3 years, the sphincter muscles become sensitive and controllable and bowel and bladder retention and elimination become a source of gratification.— David G. Myers, Psychology, 2001
b
: of, relating to, or characterized by personality traits (as orderliness, frugality, and obstinacy) considered typical of fixation at the anal stage of development : anal-retentive
—often used in nontechnical contexts to describe someone as extremely or excessively neat, careful, or precise
— compare genital sense 3, oral sense 3, phallic sense 2
Other Words from anal
anally
\ -ᵊl-ē
\
adverb
\
adverb
anal
abbreviationKeep scrolling for more