What does anally mean?
'Anally' is an adverb meaning in a manner relating to or involving the anus. Its primary use is medical and clinical: instructions for medications such as suppositories may direct that they be administered anally, and surgical or diagnostic descriptions may note that a procedure is performed anally. Beyond this literal sense, the word has acquired a well-known informal, figurative use through the phrase 'anally retentive', which derives from Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory of development. In everyday speech, describing someone as acting 'anally' suggests they are excessively fussy, pedantic, or obsessively concerned with trivial details. Because of its anatomical associations, the figurative use carries a slightly crude or jokey connotation and is generally confined to casual conversation. Writers should reserve the literal sense for clinical contexts and treat the figurative one with care in formal settings.
In a manner relating to or involving the anus.
"The medication should be administered anally for fastest absorption."
Almost exclusively used in medical or clinical contexts.
(Informal, figurative) Excessively meticulous, fussy, or controlling, especially over minor details.
"She was being completely anally about the alignment of the table settings."
Derived from 'anally retentive'; considered crude or humorous, and inappropriate in formal writing.
The adverb 'anally' gave rise to one of pop psychology's most durable insults — calling someone 'anally retentive' — straight out of Freud's theory of toilet training.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anally
'Anally' is formed by adding the adverbial suffix '-ly' to the adjective 'anal'. Both ultimately trace back to the Latin noun 'anus', meaning ring or anus, whose anatomical application passed into medical Latin and then into English. The adjective 'anal' appeared in English medical vocabulary by the nineteenth century, and the adverb followed as clinical language demanded it. Its figurative extension comes directly from the mid-twentieth-century popularisation of Freudian terminology, particularly the phrase 'anally retentive'.
Related word forms
How anally is actually used
The literal sense appears almost exclusively in medical and clinical contexts. The figurative sense, derived from the phrase 'anally retentive', is informal and can be seen as crude or offensive in polite company; it is best avoided in formal writing.
Easily confused with anally
'Annually' means once every year, while 'anally' relates to the anus — the two words look and sound similar but are entirely unrelated.