amok

1 of 3

noun

variants or less commonly amuck
: an episode of sudden mass assault against people or objects usually by a single individual following a period of brooding that has traditionally been regarded as occurring especially in Malaysian culture but is now increasingly viewed as psychopathological behavior occurring worldwide in numerous countries and cultures

amok

2 of 3

adverb

variants or less commonly amuck
1
: in a violently raging, wild, or uncontrolled manner
used in the phrase run amok
rioters running amok in the streets
Conditions had allowed extremism to run amok.
2
: in a murderously frenzied state

amok

3 of 3

adjective

variants or less commonly amuck
: possessed with or motivated by a murderous or violently uncontrollable frenzy

Did you know?

Print evidence of amok in English was first recorded in the 1600s, when the word was used as a noun meaning "murderous frenzy." Visitors to Southeast Asia had reported witnessing the suffering and effects of a psychiatric disorder known in Malay as amok. Typically, the afflicted person (usually a man) attacked bystanders in a frenzy, killing everyone in sight until he collapsed or was himself killed. By the end of the 17th century English speakers had adopted both the noun and adverb forms of amok, as well as the phrase "run amok," a translation of the Malay verb mengamok. The adverb, in time, has mitigated its violent nature; it usually describes the actions of the unruly and not the murderous.

Examples of amok in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
Once in office, Reagan aggressively advanced the idea that racial-justice efforts had run amok, that Black Americans were getting undeserved racial advantages across society and that white Americans constituted the primary victims of discrimination. Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Andrew Friedman has plenty of remorse but no decent answer Oct. 18, 2023 This philosophy, while wildly successful in building a deep organization filled with versatile talent that literally covers every base in building 100-win regular seasons, sometimes runs amok. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Excessive call option buying is indicative of speculators running amok. Moneyshow, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Bad behavior: Entitled tourists are running amok, defacing the Colosseum, getting rowdy in Bali and messing with wild animals in national parks. Colleen Grablick, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024 Related article Gangs, gunmen and cartels running amok. Tara John, CNN, 20 Feb. 2024 Again, this all makes sense for companies trying to turn a profit, and a world of sanitized, corporate A.I. is probably better than one with millions of unhinged chatbots running amok. Kevin Roose, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024 The debate rages on: Some praise it as a spontaneous art happening that highlights the city’s housing crisis; others denounce it as vandalism and crime run amok, not to mention a massive eyesore. Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2024 The conspiracy theories have even driven some conservatives to root for San Francisco, despite usually vilifying the city as an acrid emblem of progressivism run amok. Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Wyatt Russell has been terrific as this avatar of male insecurity run wildly amok, but the script isn’t always doing him favors. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'amok.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Malay amok

Adverb

derivative of amok entry 1

Adjective

derivative of amok entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1665, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1672, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of amok was in 1665

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Dictionary Entries Near amok

Cite this Entry

“Amok.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amok. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

amok

adverb
ə-ˈmək,
-ˈmäk
variants or amuck
ə-ˈmək
1
: in a violently excited state
run amok
2
: in an undisciplined, uncontrolled, or faulty manner
paper shredded by a copier run amok

Medical Definition

variants also amuck
: an episode of sudden mass assault against people or objects usually by a single individual following a period of brooding that has traditionally been regarded as occurring especially in Malaysian culture but is now increasingly viewed as psychopathological behavior occurring worldwide in numerous countries and cultures
Amok is a condition in South Asian and Pacific Islander cultures when a person attacks and tries to kill others.Christopher A. Kearney and Timothy J. Trull, Abnormal Psychology and Life
… research suggests that amok can and does occur in other countries, such as Laos, the Philippines, Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, and even the United States. Certain acts of random violence (e.g., school shootings and office shootings) may actually be presentations of an American version of amok.Michael Gomez, in Encyclopedia of Multicultural Psychology
amok adjective or adverb
also amuck

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