Mania

¹ American  

[mey-nee-uh, meyn-yuh] / ˈmeɪ ni ə, ˈmeɪn yə /

noun

1. an ancient Roman goddess of the dead.

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mania ² American  

[mey-nee-uh, meyn-yuh] / ˈmeɪ ni ə, ˈmeɪn yə /

noun

1. excessive excitement or enthusiasm; craze.

   The country has a mania for soccer.

2. Psychiatry. manic disorder.

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-mania ³ American  

1. a combining form of mania (megalomania ); extended to mean “enthusiasm, often of an extreme and transient nature,” for that specified by the initial element (bibliomania ).

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-mania ¹ British  

combining form

1. indicating extreme desire or pleasure of a specified kind or an abnormal excitement aroused by something

   kleptomania

   nymphomania

   pyromania

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mania ² British  

/ ˈmeɪnɪə /

noun

1. a mental disorder characterized by great excitement and occasionally violent behaviour See also manic-depressive

2. an obsessional enthusiasm or partiality

   a mania for mushrooms

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mania Cultural  

1. Violent, abnormal, or impulsive behavior. In psychological terms, mania is wild activity associated with manic depression.

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Usage

What does -mania mean? The combining form -mania is used like a suffix meaning literally “mania,” often in the sense of "enthusiasm, often of an extreme or transient nature." It is often used in scientific and technical terms, especially in psychology.The form -mania comes from Greek manía, meaning “madness.” Latin has three translations for manía: dēmentia, furor, and rabiēs, all meaning “madness.” Find out more at our entries for dementia, furor, and rabies.

Discover More

A “mania” in popular terms is an intense enthusiasm or craze.

Other Word Forms

• -maniac combining form
• hypermania noun
• submania noun

Etymology

Origin of mania

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin, from Greek manía “madness”; akin to maenad, mind

Example Sentences

In 2022, Peter was part of a team of Journal reporters that received the New York Press Club award for business reporting for their coverage of Robinhood and meme-stock mania.

From The Wall Street Journal

Gunjan helped lead the Journal’s award-winning coverage of retail investing and the meme stock mania that swept markets in 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal

He's also keen to protect his four children from "the onslaught of digital mania" and the impact of screen time.

From BBC

She helped lead coverage of the 2021 meme-stock mania and the rise of trading platforms such as Robinhood.

From The Wall Street Journal

That sets this time apart from earlier examples of silver mania — like when the Hunt Brothers notoriously tried to corner the market in 1980, he noted.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• craving
• craze
• craziness
• enthusiasm
• fad
• fascination
• frenzy
• infatuation
• lunacy
• obsession
• passion
• rage