maniacal

adjective

ma·​ni·​a·​cal mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl 

variants or less commonly maniac

ˈmā-nē-ˌak 

1

: affected with or suggestive of madness

maniacal laughter

maniacal energy

a maniacal killer

2

: characterized by ungovernable excitement or frenzy : frantic

a maniacal mob

maniacal fans

maniacally

mə-ˈnī-ə-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of maniacal

• psychotic
• insane
• mad
• crazy
• mental
• crazed

Examples of maniacal in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Erling Haaland, Norway’s large, maniacal striker, has several exceedingly Norwegian traits. — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 30 June 2026

The president as a maniacal urban planner is a white-knuckle ride, with Washington — and Washingtonians — just holding on for dear life. — Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 23 June 2026

One of Anthropic’s great strengths compared to its archrival OpenAI is its maniacal focus. — Rob Toews, Forbes.com, 22 June 2026

One imagines the narrator of the Proclaimers’ most maniacal hit undertaking their 500-mile journey with a double dose of Vyvanse. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French maniaque "mad, frenzied" & its source, Late Latin maniacus + -al entry 1 — more at maniac entry 1

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

maniacal

adjective

ma·​ni·​a·​cal mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl 

variants also maniac

ˈmā-nē-ˌak 

: affected with or suggestive of madness

maniacally

mə-ˈnī-ə-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

maniacal

adjective

ma·​ni·​a·​cal mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl 

variants also maniac

ˈmā-nē-ak 

: manic

maniacally

mə-ˈnī-ə-k(ə-)lē 

adverb