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
Warren EcksteinHe bores the pants off you and she seems to be some kind of nymphomaniac—kept playing footsie with me in the restaurant.—David Lodge
David Lodge
variants
or nymphomaniacal
: 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
Mike Quinnnymphomaniacal tendencies
Examples of nymphomaniac in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 May 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
Cite this Entry
“Nymphomaniac.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nymphomaniac. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical 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
: of, affected with, or characterized by nymphomania
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share