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English Lexicon

Retail therapy

/ˈriː.teɪl ˈθer.ə.pi/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #14500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    The act of shopping in order to improve one's mood or alleviate stress.

    "After a grueling week at the office, she treated herself to some much-needed retail therapy."
  2. 2

    Purchasing consumer goods as a form of emotional compensation or temporary happiness.

    "He turned to online shopping for retail therapy whenever he felt lonely or overwhelmed."
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Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Coined in the late 20th century, the term first appeared in print in the Chicago Tribune in 1986. It combines 'retail' (from Old French retaillier, meaning 'to cut up') with 'therapy' (from Greek therapeia, meaning 'attending, medical treatment'), ironically framing consumer spending as a curative psychological remedy.

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