maniac

noun

ma·​ni·​ac ˈmā-nē-ˌak 

plural maniacs

1

informal : someone who is or acts mentally unsound

especially : a person who behaves in a wildly foolish, reckless, or dangerous manner

Don't drive like a maniac.

There was a high wire strung from one shore to the other and some maniac in ballet slippers and tights was walking the wire …

—E. L. Doctorow

In The Bat Whispers the heroine is sealed in a dark room with a homicidal maniac.

—Scott MacQueen

2

informal : a person who is extremely enthusiastic about something

a sports maniac

Comic book maniacs and superhero look-alikes gathered at the Cross County Mall in suburban West Palm Beach to buy, sell and talk about the arcane world of comics.

—Stefan Fatsis

Synonyms of maniac

• lunatic
• fool
• goose

Examples of maniac in a Sentence

He's a complete maniac when he's playing football.

they should permanently put away the maniac who is responsible for these kidnappings

Recent Examples on the Web

Donald also had a reputation for being a maniac about taking care of his body and staying in shape. —Armando Salguero, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026

Ben Rice waved his arms like a maniac on the on-deck circle. —Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 24 May 2026

Instead of a Buffy-like television show, however, this one recreates a fictional slasher franchise called Camp Miasma, a typical homicidal-maniac-versus-horny-teens-in-the-woods series that bears more than a passing resemblance to the Friday the 13th movies. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2026

This maniac should be removed from office. —CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French maniaque "mad, frenzied," (as noun) "madman, lunatic," borrowed from Medieval Latin maniacus (as both noun and adjective), going back to Late Latin, "mad, maniacal," borrowed from Late Greek maniakós, from Greek manía "madness, frenzy, mania" + -akos, variant of -ikos -ic entry 1 before a vowel

First Known Use

circa 1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing maniac

• like a maniac

Rhymes for maniac

• aback
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback
• cutback

Kids Definition

maniac

noun

ma·​ni·​ac ˈmā-nē-ˌak 

1

: madman, lunatic

2

: a person wildly enthusiastic about something