Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cinderella complex

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.43 in modern English

Syllables
cin-derel-la -com-plex
IPA
33
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
5
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The situation where a woman has an unconscious desire to be taken care of by others, and thus requires help from some outside force, usually a man.

Etymology

From the title of a book by Colette Dowling, The Cinderella Complex: Women's Hidden Fear of Independence (1981). Named after the girl from the fairy-tale Cinderella, who is rescued from her life of poverty and mistreatment by a prince.

Inflected Forms

Cinderella complexes (plural)

Questions

What does cinderella complex mean?
The situation where a woman has an unconscious desire to be taken care of by others, and thus requires help from some outside force, usually a man.
Where does cinderella complex come from?
From the title of a book by Colette Dowling, The Cinderella Complex: Women's Hidden Fear of Independence (1981). Named after the girl from the fairy-tale Cinderella, who is rescued from her life of poverty and mistreatment by a prince.

How to pronounce cinderella complex

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