nymphomania

[ nim-fuh-mey-nee-uh, -meyn-yuh ]

nounPathology.
  1. abnormally excessive and uncontrollable sexual desire in women.

Origin of nymphomania

1
First recorded in 1790–1800; equivalent to nymph + -o- + -mania

Other words from nymphomania

  • nym·pho·ma·ni·ac [nim-fuh-mey-nee-ak], /ˌnɪm fəˈmeɪ niˌæk/, noun, adjective

Words Nearby nymphomania

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nymphomania in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nymphomania

nymphomania

/ (ˌnɪmfəˈmeɪnɪə) /


noun
  1. a neurotic condition in women in which the symptoms are a compulsion to have sexual intercourse with as many men as possible and an inability to have lasting relationships with them: Compare satyriasis

Origin of nymphomania

1
C18: New Latin, from Greek numphē nymph + -mania

Derived forms of nymphomania

  • nymphomaniac, noun, adjective
  • nymphomaniacal (ˌnɪmfəʊməˈnaɪəkəl), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for nymphomania

nymphomania

[ (nim-fuh-may-nee-uh) ]


The presence in women of abnormally powerful sexual desires.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.