Usage Note: You might like to think you're ascribing some sort of diagnosis to a person when you describe him as "anally retentive", but it doesn't mean anything in a psychiatric sense. It sounds professional, but it's merely a disguised way to insult someone.
Although the original Freudian idea of the evolution of the character through various stages like the "anal stage", at each of which it was possible to get stuck, has not really stood the test of time, many outside the psychological community feel that it's still worth having a term for those backed-up individuals one occasionally encounters who have an abiding need to stop fussing about something or other and relax, unclench, and *blow it out their ass*. For this, "anally retentive" (or simply "anal") will serve as well as anything.
He's so anally retentive only dogs can hear him fart.
A term used to refer to a person who feels a need to be in control of all aspects of his or her surroundings. Or, in other words, an anal retentive person "can't let go of shit."
One who is excessively insistent upon the smallestdetail of something, usually through ignorance or taking things too literally.
"Here's an entry reccomended for deletion because it's not 'urban'. And here's an entry reccomended for delition because it's not written as if in a dictionary. I do think these anal-retentives are quite missing the point of Urban Dictionary."
Father George's poor anal retention cost him all credibility during the sermon, when he sneezed and defecated himself with a revolting spray
By Adelina
Anal Retentive
A term based on the second phase of psychosexual development described by Freud (and appended by Erickson).
Used in modern times to describe a person blessed with nit-picking abilities.
"harness that anus, shower it with gifts for one day it's fruit may stand between us and complete destruction."
By Colline
Anal Retentive
A fixation on neatness developed from the Freudian "anal stage", otherwise though of as the "potty training years". Where the fixation stems from either not enough or too much pushing into potty training and cleanliness as a child.
He/she is anal retentive if everything must be placed perfectly, or if something is moved he/she becomes anxious. "neat freak"
By Cathrine
Anal Retentive
Person/persons who obviously have something stuck up their butt, but (no pun intended) feel the need to take it out on everyone else! These people also must have everything "just so" and if it isn't, oh there's gonna be anal retentive hell to pay, (i.e. nagging, bitching, complaining, delegating tasks/chores, and other various bossy crap too long to mention here.
He/she is so anal retentive they freak out at the sight of anything that isn's "just so"
