Definition

Noun: A verbal mistake, such as a slip of the tongue, that is believed to be linked to and reveal an unconscious thought, feeling, or motive, according to the theories of Sigmund Freud.

Usage

This term is used in psychology and in everyday language to describe an error in speech, memory, or action that seems to accidentally expose a person's true, often hidden, thoughts or feelings. It is a specific type of parapraxis.

Examples

• He accidentally called his new girlfriend by his ex-wife's name; it was a classic Freudian slip.
• When the politician said he wanted to "destroy the evidence" instead of "discuss the evidence," many considered it a revealing Freudian slip.
• Her Freudian slip—mentioning the surprise party she wasn't supposed to know about—gave away the secret.

Advanced Usage

• The concept is often applied humorously or critically outside of clinical psychology to suggest a person's spoken error reveals a subconscious truth.
• It can sometimes be written in lowercase ("a freudian slip"), though the capitalized form is standard as it derives from a proper name.

Variants and Related Words

• Parapraxis (n): A more general, technical term for a slip of the tongue or pen, a memory lapse, or a misplacement of an object, which may or may not be interpreted psychoanalytically.
• Slip of the tongue (n): A common phrase for any spoken error, without the necessary psychoanalytic implication of a Freudian slip.

Synonyms

• Verbal error
• Slip of the tongue
• Lapsus linguae

Related Idioms/Phrases

• To let something slip: To accidentally reveal a piece of information.
  • He let it slip that he was planning to resign. (This is a broader phrase; a Freudian slip is a specific, theory-bound type of letting something slip.)

Noun

1. a slip-up that (according to Sigmund Freud) results from the operation of unconscious wishes or conflicts and can reveal unconscious processes in normal healthy individuals