Manichean

or Man·i·chae·an

[man-i-kee-uh n]

noun

Also Man·i·chee

[man-i-kee] /ˈmæn ɪˌki/. an adherent of the dualistic religious system of Manes, a combination of Gnostic Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and various other elements, with a basic doctrine of a conflict between light and dark, matter being regarded as dark and evil.

adjective

of or relating to the Manicheans or their doctrines.

Origin of Manichean

1300–50; Middle English Maniche (< Late Latin Manichaeus < Late Greek Manichaîos of Manes) + -an

Related formsMan·i·che·an·ism, Man·i·che·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for manichaean

Contemporary Examples of manichaean

How else to explain this Manichaean reaction to young men from a part of India, Kashmir, which bridles against its place in India?
India Row Evokes Cricket’s Ultranationalist Tebbit Test
Tunku Varadarajan
March 23, 2014
I have learned that outcomes, at least when it comes to technology, are not as Manichaean as we believe them to be in the moment.
How Salman Rushdie’s Tweet Put Me Off Twitter
Benjamin Anastas
July 8, 2013
It is harder to strike pouting, Manichaean postures now, when a black man holds the highest office in the land.
Charlie Rangel Is Toast
Tunku Varadarajan
July 23, 2010

Historical Examples of manichaean

It was now that he separated himself openly from the Manichaean sect.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 8
Various
Increasingly occupied with the exact sciences, he learnt the incompatibility of the Manichaean astrology with the facts.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 8
Various
His Manichaean friends urged him to take this step, which was rendered easier by the licentious lives of the students at Carthage.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 8
Various
Hence, on the other hand, the wild rebound into licentiousness which has sometimes characterized Gnostic or Manichaean sects.
Lux Mundi
Various
In the West, the first teachers of the Manichaean theology had been repulsed by the people, or suppressed by the prince.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Edward Gibbon

British Dictionary definitions for manichaean

Manichaean

Manichean

adjective

of or relating to Manichaeism

mainly RC Church involving a radical dualism

noun

an adherent of Manichaeism

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

Word Origin and History for manichaean

Manichaean

also Manichean, 1550s (n.), 1630s (adj.), from Latin Manichaeus (see Manichaeism).