maniacal

ma·ni·a·cal

adjective \mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl\

Definition of MANIACAL

1

: affected with or suggestive of madness <maniacal laughter>

2

: characterized by ungovernable excitement or frenzy : frantic <a maniacal mob>

— ma·ni·a·cal·ly \mə-ˈnī-ə-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Variants of MANIACAL

ma·ni·a·cal also ma·ni·ac \ˈmā-nē-ˌak\

Examples of MANIACAL

1. <the movie's villain was a just a clichéd axe-wielding nutcase with a maniacal laugh>

First Known Use of MANIACAL

1526

Related to MANIACAL

Synonyms

balmy, barmy [chiefly British], bats, batty, bedlam, bonkers, brainsick, bughouse [slang], certifiable, crackbrained, cracked, crackers, crackpot, cranky [dialect], crazed, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, demented, deranged, fruity [slang], gaga, haywire, kooky (also kookie), loco [slang], loony (also looney), loony tunes (or looney tunes), lunatic, mad, insane (also maniac), mental, meshuga (or meshugge also meshugah or meshuggah), moonstruck, non compos mentis, nuts, nutty, psycho, psychotic, scatty [chiefly British], screwy, unbalanced, unhinged, unsound, wacko (also whacko), wacky (also whacky), wud [chiefly Scottish]

Antonyms

balanced, compos mentis, sane, sound, uncrazy

Related Words

dotty, fey, loopy, off, potty [chiefly British], teched (or tetched), touched; aberrant, delirious, delusional, delusionary, disordered, disturbed, neurotic, obsessive-compulsive, paranoiac (also paranoic), paranoid (also paranoidal), schizoid, schizophrenic, sociopathic; eccentric, odd, oddball, pixilated (also pixillated), queer, strange; foolish, senseless, witless; irrational, unreasonable; amok (or amuck), ape, ballistic, bananas, berserk, nuclear; depressed; distracted, distraught, frantic, frenzied, haywire, hysterical (also hysteric), raving, wigged-out; fixated, monomaniac, monomaniacal, obsessed

Near Antonyms

clear, lucid, rational, reasonable; judicious, sensible, wise; healthy, normal, well-adjusted; unneurotic

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

Rhymes with MANIACAL

dandiacal, heliacal, theriacal, zodiacal

ma·ni·a·cal

adjective \mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of MANIACAL

: affected with or exhibiting insanity : mad, insane <a maniacal killer>

—ma·ni·a·cal·ly \mə-ˈnī-ə-k(ə-)lē\ (audio pronunciation) adverb

Variants of MANIACAL

ma·ni·a·cal also ma·ni·ac \ˈmā-nē-ak\ (audio pronunciation)