maniac
Americannoun
-
a raving or violently insane person; lunatic.
-
any intemperate or overly zealous or enthusiastic person.
a maniac when it comes to details.
adjective
noun
-
a wild disorderly person
-
a person who has a great craving or enthusiasm for something
a football maniac
-
obsolete psychiatry a person afflicted with mania
Etymology
Origin of maniac
First recorded in 1595–1605, maniac is from the Medieval Latin word maniacus of, pertaining to madness. See mania, -ac
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A bill supporter dressed and speaking like John Lennon said “bloody maniacs” were poisoning the atmosphere.
I’m more aficionado than maniac, but I find them endlessly listenable, rewatchable — they just look great, for one thing — and interesting.
From Los Angeles Times
“Every time the case is recalled in the papers,” she would say, “I seem to hear from every maniac in the country.”
From Los Angeles Times
“I can’t wait till your kids turn 12 and see this, and find out their father is a secret maniac,” Kimmel said.
From Los Angeles Times
“I’m sitting here painting away like a maniac,” she admits.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
