maniac

[mey-nee-ak]

noun

1. a raving or violently insane person; lunatic.

2. any intemperate or overly zealous or enthusiastic person.

   a maniac when it comes to details.

adjective

1. maniacal.

maniac

/ ˈmeɪnɪˌæk /

noun

1. a wild disorderly person

2. a person who has a great craving or enthusiasm for something

   a football maniac

3. obsolete,  psychiatry a person afflicted with mania

Word History and Origins

Origin of maniac¹

First recorded in 1595–1605, maniac is from the Medieval Latin word maniacus of, pertaining to madness. See mania, -ac

Word History and Origins

Origin of maniac¹

C17: from Late Latin maniacus belonging to madness, from Greek

Example Sentences

“I’m sitting here painting away like a maniac,” she admits.

From Los Angeles Times

The city, he said, had been “overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people.”

From Los Angeles Times

A filing from Dominion’s lawsuit revealed that Pirro’s own Fox producer called her a “reckless maniac.”

From Salon

“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals—roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs, and homeless people.”

From Salon

Serial killers almost always worked alone, but there might be “one homicidal maniac or several,” The Times reported.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fanatic 
• fiend 
• freak 
• looney 
• lunatic 
• zealot