| reaction formation | |
| —n | |
| psychoanal a defence mechanism by which a person at a conscious level condemns a repressed wish: thus, a latent homosexual may denounce homosexuality | |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
reaction formation n.
A defense mechanism by which an objectionable impulse is expressed in an opposite or contrasting attitude or behavior.