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maenadism

maenadism

1 9.9
Wild, very excited behavior by a group of people
  • noun
  • /ˈmeɪnədɪzəm/
  • Literature
: maenadismo
  • The festival was filled with maenadism as people danced wildly.

Examples

  • Historians describe scenes of maenadism in ancient Greek rituals honoring Dionysus.

  • The actor portrayed maenadism with such intensity that the audience was captivated.

  • The festival erupted into maenadism as the crowd danced wildly through the night.

  • After the concert, the crowd exhibited maenadism under the stars.

  • During the festival, the crowd engaged in pure maenadism, dancing wildly and celebrating without restraint.

  • The concert turned into a moment of maenadism as fans leapt and swayed in a frenzied state of joy.

  • His recounting of the party was filled with maenadism, as everyone seemed to lose themselves in the music.

Antonyms

58 3.3

Being able to stop yourself from acting on strong feelings or wants when it is hard

How Frenzied

maenadism
  • Literature
1 9.9
excitement
417 1.0
agitation
14 5.1

Surface Forms

maenadism singular
maenadisms plural

Morphology

maenadism = maenad (transparent) = maenad + ism

The formation is a regular noun-from-noun using '-ism' to denote a state or practice related to 'maenad', so if a learner knows 'maenad' they can derive the meaning.

Etymology

Maenadism comes from the Greek Maenad, the wild women who followed the god Dionysus, and from a root meaning 'to rave' or 'be mad'. So, like the related word mania, maenadism means wild, frenzied behavior, often in a group.