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

All of this mania and madness has been an over-the-top act to drive a wedge between her and Andrew now that her husband has his sights set on another woman.

From Salon

For the past year, the mania had been growing: Lady Gaga accessorized a Labubu on her Hermès purse; Cher, David Beckham and Marc Jacobs also clipped the accessory to their bags.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s easy to look at gold and silver and say this is a retail mania,” Ash said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ms. Hughes is the author of “Catland: Louise Wain and the Great Cat Mania.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Speculative fever persists in many parts of the investing world, from the silver mania and artificial-intelligence boom to cryptocurrencies and Pokémon cards.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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