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Manichaean

British  
/ ˌmænɪˈkiːən /

adjective

  1. of or relating to Manichaeism

  2. RC Church involving a radical dualism

"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

noun

  1. 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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Most likely, Kuitems says, Bögü Qaghan built Por-Bazhyn as a Manichaean monastery.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 13, 2023

“It gave the story a Manichaean air that I didn’t like, because obviously they were the bad guys,” he said.

From New York Times • Dec. 13, 2021

Instead, like our 16th-century ancestors, we lean Manichaean.

From Slate • Nov. 17, 2020

In the opening moments of the Soviet contest—what Orwell warned would be the “peace that is no peace”—Americans faced what appeared to be a Manichaean choice: appeasement or a world war.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 6, 2020

Like a Manichaean nightmare, the two sit on opposite poles of the number sphere, sucking numbers in like tiny black holes.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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