maniac
Americannoun
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a raving or violently insane person; lunatic.
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any intemperate or overly zealous or enthusiastic person.
a maniac when it comes to details.
adjective
noun
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a wild disorderly person
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a person who has a great craving or enthusiasm for something
a football maniac
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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.
“And do what, Clare? That human who tried to wallop me was huge! And that look in his eyes when he was smashing your mushrooms? He’s a maniac!”
From Literature
I was remembering where we had first heard this maniac sound.
From Literature
I played that soccer game and then I rode my bike like a maniac—no wonder I feel so dead.
From Literature
The first staple sends shivers over my body, and I’m smiling like a maniac because it’s just cool to blast a staple into wood with a power tool.
From Literature
A bill supporter dressed and speaking like John Lennon said “bloody maniacs” were poisoning the atmosphere.
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.
