Definition

Noun: A minor, unintentional error typically occurring in speech, writing, small physical accidents, or momentary memory lapses. It is often considered a manifestation of a subconscious thought or impulse.

Usage

This is a formal, psychological term. It is used to describe a specific type of mistake that is thought to reveal underlying, unconscious feelings or thoughts. It is synonymous with the more common term "Freudian slip."

Examples

• In his speech, the politician's parapraxis—calling his opponent by his wife's name—was widely discussed.
• Her consistent parapraxis of forgetting her new boyfriend's name suggested some unresolved feelings.
• The typographical error in the formal report was dismissed as a simple parapraxis rather than intentional.

Advanced Usage

• In Psychoanalytic Theory: The term is used specifically within a psychoanalytic context to analyze errors, suggesting they are not random but psychologically meaningful.
  • The therapist interpreted the patient's parapraxis as a sign of repressed anxiety.

Variants and Related Words

• Freudian Slip (n.): A much more common colloquial term for the same concept.
• Slip of the Tongue (n.): A general term for an error in speech, which may or may not carry a psychoanalytic implication.
• Lapse (n.): A temporary failure of concentration, memory, or judgment.

Synonyms

• Freudian slip
• Slip
• Error
• Mistake
• Lapse
• Blooper (informal)

Antonyms

• Deliberate act
• Intentional statement
• Correct execution

Related Idioms/Phrases

• A Freudian slip: This is the standard idiomatic phrase equivalent to "parapraxis."
  • "Did you just call me 'mom'? That was quite a Freudian slip."

Noun

1. a minor inadvertent mistake usually observed in speech or writing or in small accidents or memory lapses etc.