Meaning
madhouse; asylum
- a psychiatric hospital (historical term)
- a scene of extreme chaos, noise, or confusion (informal)
In a sentence
Con tutti quei bambini che urlavano, l'ufficio sembrava un manicomio.
With all those shouting children, the office felt like a madhouse.
La stazione durante lo sciopero è diventata un vero manicomio.
The train station during the strike became an absolute madhouse.
In Italia i vecchi manicomi sono stati chiusi decenni fa.
In Italy, the old insane asylums were closed decades ago.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| manicomio | masculine · singular |
| manicomi | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Historically dated for psychiatric facilities; now primarily used figuratively to mean 'chaos' or 'madhouse'.
- Commonly used with verbs like 'sembrare' or 'diventare'.