nympholepsy
- noun
- /ˌnɪmfəˈlɛpsi/
- Archaic
:
nymfolepsia
- Critics described her obsession with perfect beauty as a kind of nympholepsy.
Examples
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His nympholepsy made him forever restless, seeking after something he could never attain.
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Her nympholepsy for a perfect life often left her feeling unfulfilled.
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Caught in the throes of nympholepsy, the poet spent sleepless nights yearning for his ideal muse.
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Many artists experience nympholepsies that inspire their greatest works.
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His nympholepsy for the unattainable beauty of the distant mountain stirred deep feelings within him.
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The artist's nympholepsy often led him to create works that expressed his longing for a perfect world.
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She experienced nympholepsy every time she listened to the haunting melody that reminded her of lost love.
Synonyms
∞
1.6
A strong wish to have or experience something
69
4.2
A strong wish for someone or something you cannot have
11
6.6
A strong wish to have or do something
8
5.5
A strong, lasting wish for something you want but cannot get
2
9.9
A strong wish to have something you enjoy
A state of being driven by a strong urge that is hard to control
A strong desire to get or achieve something
A strong desire for something
Antonyms
How Obsessed
Surface Forms
Morphology
nympholepsy = nymph + lepsy
The term 'nympholepsy' combines 'nymph' with '-lepsy', but the meaning is not directly inferable from its parts, as it refers to an emotional state rather than a literal seizure or capture.
Etymology
Nympholepsy comes from Greek parts nymph (a myth figure of perfect beauty) and -lepsy meaning 'seizure', like in epilepsy. Think of being 'seized' by a nymph — carried away with a strong, often impossible longing for an ideal, which is why nympholepsy means wanting something you cannot reach.