Mental Process
libido Audio
li·bi·do [ li-bee-doh ]
Etymology:
Latin libido = inclination or lust
Freud introduced this term into psychiatry.
Definitions related to libido:
  • Psychic drive or energy associated with sexual instinct in the broad sense (pleasure and love-object seeking); may also connote the psychic energy associated with instincts in general that motivate behavior.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Sexual desire or the mental energy or emotion related to sex.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Sexual desire.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • The psychic drive or energy associated with sexual instinct in the broad sense (pleasure and love-object seeking). It may also connote the psychic energy associated with instincts in general that motivate behavior.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • Libido, concept originated by Sigmund Freud to signify the instinctual physiological or psychic energy associated with sexual urges and, in his later writings, with all constructive human activity. In the latter sense of eros, or life instinct, libido was opposed by thanatos, the death instinct...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025
Try this search on: Farlex, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary, or Wordnik

This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.