nymphomaniac

1 of 2

noun

nym·​pho·​ma·​ni·​ac ˌnim(p)-fə-ˈmā-nē-ˌak 

plural nymphomaniacs

: one affected by nymphomania : a female who has an excessive desire for sexual activity

A female cat can be a nymphomaniac, a problem brought about by excessive hormone production.

—Warren Eckstein

He bores the pants off you and she seems to be some kind of nymphomaniac—kept playing footsie with me in the restaurant.

—David Lodge

nymphomaniac

2 of 2

adjective

variants or nymphomaniacal

ˌnim(p)-fə-mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl 

: of, affected with, or characterized by nymphomania

The patriarch of the family asks for the private eye's help after his nymphomaniac daughter becomes involved in blackmail and murder.

—Mike Quinn

nymphomaniacal tendencies

Examples of nymphomaniac in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

No one would celebrate an epidemic of cannibalistic zombies or the takeover of Montreal by a gang of nymphomaniacs. —Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024

One day, he is plucked from the slush pile by one of the company’s founders, Warren Landry (the sole Landry at Landry, Landry and Bartlett, despite the company’s name), to edit a book about Ethel Rosenberg, which depicts her as a nymphomaniac delighted to be spying for the Russians. —New York Times, 28 June 2021

The 2006 Paramount Pictures film about a bluesman and a nymphomaniac became a hit on the service in 2015. —Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg.com, 10 Feb. 2023

Adjective

Her character imposing a maritime eulogy for her nymphomaniac mother on a group of strangers proved to be one of several darkly comedic scenes that helped win Coolidge an Emmy, a Critics Choice Award, a SAG Award and a Golden Globe. —Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

nymph + -o- + maniac entry 1, after nymphomania

Adjective

nymphomaniac from nymph + -o- + maniac "mad, insane" (borrowed from Middle French maniaque "mad, frenzied" and its source, Medieval Latin maniacus), after nymphomania; nymphomaniacal from nymphomaniac, adjective + -al entry 1 — more at maniac entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1828, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1831, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

nymphomaniac

1 of 2 noun

nym·​pho·​ma·​ni·​ac -nē-ˌak 

: one affected with nymphomania

nymphomaniac

2 of 2 adjective

variants or nymphomaniacal

-mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl 

: of, affected with, or characterized by nymphomania