Manichaean
/ˌmænɪˈkiːən/
Manichaean noun: a follower of Manichaeism.
Noun
Manichaean (plural Manichaeans)
- A follower of Manichaeism.
Adjective
Manichaean (not comparable)
- Of or relating to Manichaeism.
- Through them passed not only the traders of the Silk Route[…] but also lone Buddhist monks carrying precious cargoes of scrolls in their backpacks, white-robed Manichean sages from Iran and austere Nestorian clerics who founded Christian monasteries even in remote Tibet.1995 November 25, Michael Gibson, “The Treasures of a Lost Buddhist World”, in The International Herald Tribune, →ISSN
- Of or concerning a Manichaean.
- Synonyms:
- Acuanite, Manichaic, Manichaist, Manichee
- Of or relating to a worldview of distinct good and evil, especially to the exclusion of other possible categories.
- Detractors of Mr. Nixon will decry the book's [1999: Victory Without War] obsession with potency and winning[…] as well as with a Manichaean view of a world that he sees as divided between the bad Soviet Union and the good United States.1988 April 11, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, “Strategy and Tactics to Win the Global Struggle”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
- Barack Obama spoke of a world without these Manichean dualities. He dismissed the notion of “red” and “blue” America.2008 June 8, Ana Marie Cox, “What Went Wrong | Divided She Fell”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
- Using light and dark to represent good and evil.
Manichaean meaning in Persian
Manichaean in Persian
- a follower of Manichaeism
- مانوی mânavi
- of or relating to Manichaeism
- مانوی mânavi
- of or concerning a Manichaean, Manichaeans
- مانوی mânavi
Synonyms of Manichaean
Forms of Manichaean
| plural | Manichaeans |
|---|---|
| alternative form | Manichean |
| alternative form (archaic) | Manichæan |
| alternative form (dated) | Manichee |
Origin of Manichaean
From Manichaeus + -an.
Questions about Manichaean
- What does Manichaean mean?
- Manichaean means a follower of Manichaeism.
- What is Manichaean in Persian?
- Manichaean in Persian is مانوی (mânavi). See Manichaean meaning in Persian.
- What part of speech is Manichaean?
- Manichaean can be a noun or an adjective.
- How do you pronounce Manichaean?
- Manichaean is pronounced /ˌmænɪˈkiːən/.
- What is the plural of Manichaean?
- The plural of Manichaean is Manichaeans.
Words near Manichaean in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Manichaean (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Manichaean.wav.
Cite this entry: “Manichaean.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/manichaean. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.