mania

1 of 2

noun

ma·​nia ˈmā-nē-ə 

-nyə

1

: excitement manifested by mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganization of behavior, and elevation of mood

specifically : the manic phase of bipolar disorder

2

a

: excessive or unreasonable enthusiasm

a mania for saving things

—often used in combination

b

: the object of such enthusiasm

His current mania is football.

-mania

2 of 2

noun combining form

1

a

: mental illness

monomania

b

: excessive or abnormal propensity or desire

pyromania

trichotillomania

2

: absorbing interest : extreme enthusiasm

balletomania

bibliomania

Synonyms of mania

Noun

• dementia
• insanity
• hysteria
• madness
• schizophrenia

Examples of mania in a Sentence

Noun

She would typically experience a period of mania and then suddenly become deeply depressed.

The entire city has been gripped by baseball mania.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This past month, when the entire city was in the grip of basketball mania, my eyes have felt newly refreshed by the abundance of royal blue and traffic-cone orange on the streets. — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 3 July 2026

The Knicks were actually good, breaking a 53-year-drought by winning the NBA championship and inspiring acts of passion and mania across the city. — Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 1 July 2026

Rose to $160 billion 7 years later, at peak of the dot com mania. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 1 July 2026

The Eala mania mirrors the same kind of fan frenzy that Brazil’s 19-year-old Joao Fonseca has generated on the men’s tour. — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "mental disorder, frenzy," borrowed from Late Latin, borrowed from Greek manía "madness, frenzy," noun derivative (with -ia -ia entry 1) from the base of maínomai, maínesthai "to rage, rave, be frenzied, be out of one's mind," going back to an Indo-European present stem *mn̥-i̯é- (from the verbal base *men- "form a thought"), whence also Old Irish doˑmoinethar "(s/he) supposes, expects," Sanskrit mányate "(s/he) thinks," Avestan mainiieṇte "(they) consider, take for"; also as stative verbs (< *mn̥-h₂i̯é-?) Old Church Slavic mĭnjǫ, mĭněti "to think, suppose," Lithuanian miniù, minė́ti "to mention, commemorate" — more at mind entry 1

Noun combining form

borrowed from Greek -mania, combining form from manía "madness, frenzy" — more at mania

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mania

• collectanea
• hypomania
• miscellanea
• monomania
• leishmania
• urania
• megalomania
• mania
• taenia

Kids Definition

mania

noun

ma·​nia ˈmā-nē-ə 

-nyə

1

: excitement that is expressed through excessive physical and mental activity and extreme cheerfulness

2

: excessive enthusiasm : craze

had a mania for saving things

Medical Definition

mania

noun

ma·​nia ˈmā-nē-ə, -nyə 

: excitement of psychotic proportions manifested by mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganization of behavior, and elevation of mood

specifically : the manic phase of bipolar disorder