Definition

1. Noun:
   • Abnormally intense sexual desire in women: A psychiatric term historically used to describe a condition characterized by excessive or uncontrollable sexual desire in women. It is important to note that this term is largely outdated and considered pejorative in modern clinical and social contexts.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The 19th-century medical text described the patient's condition as nymphomania.
  • The term nymphomania is rarely used in contemporary psychology.

Advanced Usage

• The concept historically labeled as nymphomania is now more accurately and respectfully discussed within frameworks of hypersexuality or specific sexual desire disorders, which are gender-neutral and based on distress or impairment rather than moral judgment.
• Its use is often critical, examining historical attitudes toward female sexuality:

Variants and Related Words

• Nymphomaniac (noun): A dated and offensive term for a woman said to have nymphomania.
  • Using the label "nymphomaniac" is considered stigmatizing.
• Hypersexuality (noun): A modern, more clinical term for excessively frequent or intense sexual urges, fantasies, or behaviors that cause distress or impairment.

Synonyms

• Hypersexuality (clinical, contemporary)
• Excessive sexual desire (descriptive)

Important Notes

• Nymphomania is an archaic term. Its use today often reflects historical analysis or is considered offensive due to its sexist origins and pathologizing of female sexuality.
• Modern medicine does not recognize "nymphomania" as a valid diagnosis. The uses criteria for disorders like Hypersexual Disorder (proposed) or Other Specified Sexual Dysfunction, which focus on personal distress and functional impairment, not gender or moral judgment.

Noun

1. abnormally intense sexual desire in women