maniac

1 of 2

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

maniac

2 of 2

adjective

ma·​ni·​ac ˈmā-nē-ˌak 

less common variant of maniacal

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

Synonyms

Noun

• lunatic [informal]
• fool
• goose

Examples of maniac in a Sentence

Noun

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

Noun

Haunted Trail takes visitors outdoors through a path with dense fog and several haunting installations with zombies, a ghoul bus, a graveyard filled with ghosts, chainsaw maniacs and more. —Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025

Change Halloween to the Fourth of July and a relentless maniac to a hungry shark, and Steven Spielberg's iconic blockbuster might as well be a seabound slasher. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025

Adjective

Wisecracking, cackling mini-maniac Teddy was the daredevil of the group. —Sezin Devi Koehler September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025

This new version understands the overall assignment: bring back a few familiar faces; reintroduce your resident homicidal maniac hellbent on revenge; gather an insanely photogenic cast and kill most of them. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

Noun

circa 1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing maniac

• like a maniac

Rhymes for maniac

• almanac
• camelback
• cardiac
• carryback
• cluniac
• diamondback
• lumberjack
• paperback
• piggyback
• quarterback
• saddleback
• stickleback

Kids Definition

maniac

noun

ma·​ni·​ac ˈmā-nē-ˌak 

1

: madman, lunatic

2

: a person wildly enthusiastic about something