Phrase guide

penis envy

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The unconscious desire of a woman to possess a penis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, medicine, psychoanalysis, psychology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

(psychoanalysis) a female's presumed envy of the male's penis; said to explain femininity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: envy, enviousness

History

Etymology

Calque of German Penisneid.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: enveja del penis — unconscious desire
  • Chinese Mandarin: 陰莖妒羨 /阴茎妒羡 (yīnjīng dùxiàn) — unconscious desire
  • Danish: penismisundelse — unconscious desire
  • Dutch: penisnijd — unconscious desire
  • Estonian: peenisekadedus — unconscious desire
  • Finnish: peniskateus — unconscious desire
  • French: envie du pénis — unconscious desire
  • German: Penisneid — unconscious desire
  • Greek: φθόνος του πέους (fthónos tou péous) — unconscious desire
  • Japanese: ペニス羨望 (penisu-senbō) — unconscious desire
  • Polish: zazdrość o członek — unconscious desire
  • Russian: за́висть к пе́нису (závistʹ k pénisu) — unconscious desire
  • Spanish: envidia del pene — unconscious desire
  • Swedish: penisavund — unconscious desire
  • Turkish: penis hasedi — unconscious desire