libido
noun
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The Latin word libido, meaning "desire, lust", was borrowed by Sigmund Freud as the name for a concept in his own theories. At first he defined libido to mean the instinctual energy associated with the sex drive. Later he broadened the word's meaning and began using it to mean the mental energy behind purposeful human activity of any kind; in other words, the libido (for which Freud also used the term eros, a Greek word meaning "sexual love") came to be regarded as the life instinct, which included sex along with all the other impulses we rely on to keep us alive. But those of us who aren't psychologists use the word simply as a synonym for "sex drive".
Examples of libido in a Sentence
Md Published, Verywell Health, 15 May 2025
This can contribute to infertility, low libido and even be a direct cause of erectile dysfunction.
—Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Coolidge plays Marlene, a high school vice principal with, as the trailer implies, a roaring libido.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Postmenopausal women may find relief through HRT with estrogen or a combination of estrogen and progestin, which can help ease menopause symptoms that contribute to low libido.
—Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 18 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Libido.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/libido. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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