Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Excessive sexual desire.
  • noun Psychiatry A delusional, romantic preoccupation with another person, often a public figure.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In pathology, mental alienation or melancholy caused by love; love-sickness.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a disorder in which a person has a delusion of a romantic relationship with another person
  • noun excessive sexual inclination or desire

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek erōtomaniā : erōs, erōt-, sexual love + -maniā, -mania.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek ἐρωτικός (erōtikos, "related to love"), which is from ἔρως (erōs, "passionate or sexual love"); eroto- + -mania.

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Examples

  • But I think since you ` ve the word "celebrity worship," and it can go into what we call erotomania, which is another phrase for it - eroto meaning "about love," and that it ` s, you know, manic about love - is that, turn that celebrity worship into worshipping yourself.

    CNN Transcript Jun 9, 2006 2006

  • SAUNDERS: Well, this was a classic case of what we call erotomania, and it ` s a delusional disorder where a stalker or a person believes that there is a relationship between them and the celebrity.

    CNN Transcript Nov 12, 2008 2008

  • The first time I’ve ever heard the term erotomania as well.

    Row Three » Row Three Narcissism: Movies We Watched - Where Cinema is more than just $100 Million productions 2008

  • This type of erotomania is characterized by the knowledge that the victim does not love them back.

    Profile of a Stalker : Law is Cool 2008

  • This type of erotomania is characterized by the knowledge that the victim does not love them back.

    2008 June : Law is Cool 2008

  • And that ` s really erotomania, which is having a delusional fixation on another person.

    CNN Transcript Jan 11, 2007 2007

  • Also know as erotomania, De Clérambault's syndrome is one in which a delusional belief is held by a patient that another person, usually older and of higher social status, famous, wealthy or in a professional relationship with the patient is deeply in love with them.

    Mental Nurse 2009

  • In some quarters there has been some recrudescence of the _Shakti_ cultus, with its often obscene and horrible rites, and the unnatural depravity which was so marked a feature in the case of the band of young Brahmans who conspired to murder Mr. Jackson at Nasik represents a form of erotomania which is certainly much more common amongst Hindu political fanatics than amongst Hindus in general.

    Indian Unrest Valentine Chirol 1890

  • The term is "erotomania," defined by the conviction that someone is in love with you.

    RogerEbert Headlines 2010

  • Thus did Western Man decide to abolish himself, creating his own boredom out of his own affluence, his own vulnerability out of his own strength, his own impotence out of his own erotomania, himself blowing the trumpet that brought the walls of his own city tumbling down, and having convinced himself that he was too numerous, labored with pill and scalpel and syringe to make himself fewer.

    Barbarians inside the gates « Anglican Samizdat 2010

Comments

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  • A rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that another person, usually of a higher social status, is in love with him or her. (Wikipedia)

    May 17, 2008

  • See erotolepsy.

    August 22, 2009