Manichean

American  

[man-i-kee-uhn] / ˌmæn ɪˈki ən /

Or Manichaean

noun

1. Also Manichee an adherent of the dualistic religious system of Manes, a combination of Gnostic Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and various other elements, with a basic doctrine of a conflict between light and dark, matter being regarded as dark and evil.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Manicheans or their doctrines.

Other Word Forms

• Manicheanism
  noun
• Manicheism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Manichean

1300–50; Middle English Maniche (< Late Latin Manichaeus < Late Greek Manichaîos of Manes) + -an

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Manichean

A strength of “Bird School” is the author’s appreciation of paradox not as a Manichean struggle but as a condition of life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

And that escalation comes amid growing global instability contributing to a Manichean world of antagonistic armed blocs, reminiscent of the Cold War at its worst.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2025

Within these still-Nashville-conditioned idioms, unlike Swift or Beyoncé, Maines succumbs to Manichean opposites of good vs. evil only when she needs to purge.

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2020

“You always impress, but this one took the cake: ‘there are a LOT of reasons why American politics today has become the Manichean slag heap it has.’

From Fox News ● Jun. 8, 2020

The difference made in these records between the Waldenses and the Manichean sects shows that the imputations cast upon the latter were not indiscriminate calumnies.

From View of the State of Europe during the Middle Ages, Vol. 3 by Henry Hallam