exhibitionism

American  

[ek-suh-bish-uh-niz-uhm] / ˌɛk səˈbɪʃ əˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. a tendency to display one's abilities or to behave in such a way as to attract attention.

2. Psychiatry. a disorder characterized especially by a compulsion to exhibit the genitals in public.

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exhibitionism British  

/ ˌɛksɪˈbɪʃəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. a compulsive desire to attract attention to oneself, esp by absurd or exaggerated behaviour or boasting

2. psychiatry a compulsive desire to expose one's genital organs publicly

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Other Word Forms

• exhibitionist noun
• exhibitionistic adjective
• nonexhibitionism noun

Etymology

Origin of exhibitionism

First recorded in 1890–95; exhibition + -ism

Example Sentences

She allows the camera into the sanctums of her tanning booth and facial treatment sessions, but there’s an exhibitionism in these moments instead of conveying honesty and openness.

From Salon • Aug. 18, 2024

Most of the mental health stuff that you see is exhibitionism.

From Slate • Feb. 28, 2023

I feel I captured a genuine moment hidden inside his obvious exhibitionism.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2021

When you do come across acts of kindness and compassion, they seem to be documented and calibrated to serve the gods of exhibitionism and self-promotion.

From New York Times • Jul. 31, 2020

This is a kind of psychic exhibitionism, the gratification it causes lying exactly, as in physical exhibitionism, in the emotional confusion which it is felt to arouse.

From Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 5 Erotic Symbolism; The Mechanism of Detumescence; The Psychic State in Pregnancy by Ellis, Havelock