maniacal
adjective
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
- insane
- kooky
- kookie
- loco [slang]
- loony
- looney
- loony tunes
- looney tunes
- lunatic
- mad
- mental
- meshuga
- meshugge
- meshugah
- meshuggah
- moonstruck
- non compos mentis
- nuts
- nutty
- psycho
- psychotic
- scatty [chiefly British]
- screwy
- unbalanced
- unhinged
- unsound
- wacko
- whacko
- wacky
- whacky
- wud [chiefly Scottish]
Examples of maniacal in a Sentence
Nigel Smith, Peoplemag, 7 Nov. 2023
Corey Seager — the quiet, maniacal hitting savant — changing?
—Jorge Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023
Die-hard fans and longtime observers will remember a maniacal Clemens clapping and smiling on a loop, on a previous iteration of his brand’s website.
—Lynette Nylander, Essence, 24 Oct. 2023
Ardern finally had to abandon her maniacal stance as Covid began to spread throughout the island.
—Wendell Cox, National Review, 15 Oct. 2023
His maniacal dedication to precise acoustics and performance mixed with his flair for the dramatic makes LCD the perfect band for venue.
—Vulture Staff, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2023
For Gaspar, the son, this maniacal cult is his destiny.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 29 Sep. 2023
Margolyes played the nurse to Martin’s psychopathic dentist in the maniacal farce.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
The keen observations and careful execution of these paintings speak to a maniacal tendency in America toward anger, billboards that are empty of sentences but have plenty to say.
—Vulture, 8 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maniacal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle French maniaque "mad, frenzied" & its source, Late Latin maniacus + -al entry 1 — more at maniac entry 1
1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Articles Related to maniacal
Dictionary Entries Near maniacal
Cite this Entry
“Maniacal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maniacal. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
maniacal
adjective
Medical Definition
More from Merriam-Webster on maniacal
Nglish: Translation of maniacal for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of maniacal for Arabic Speakers
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