maniacal
adjective
ma·ni·a·cal
mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl 
variants
or less commonly maniac
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
- 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
the movie's villain was a just a clichéd axe-wielding nutcase with a maniacal laugh
Recent Examples on the Web
The museum released an 80-second video featuring Lady Gaga, who stars opposite Phoenix’s Joker as his maniacal love interest Harleen Quinzel, bopping through the Louvre’s halls, pointing finger guns at priceless works of art.
—
Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2024
Leave it to Lady Gaga to give one of the most famous faces in the world a maniacal makeover.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2024
In blocking the Joker from his maniacal dissemination of mayhem on the Gotham City streets, the movie all but neutralizes him.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2024
These days, the available options are packed full of adult-friendly thrills — from outrageous meme-making card games to maniacal twists on old classics.
—Elizabeth Buxton, refinery29.com, 16 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for maniacal 
Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2024
Leave it to Lady Gaga to give one of the most famous faces in the world a maniacal makeover.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2024
In blocking the Joker from his maniacal dissemination of mayhem on the Gotham City streets, the movie all but neutralizes him.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2024
These days, the available options are packed full of adult-friendly thrills — from outrageous meme-making card games to maniacal twists on old classics.
—Elizabeth Buxton, refinery29.com, 16 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for maniacal
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.
Dictionary Entries Near maniacal
Cite this Entry
“Maniacal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maniacal. Accessed 22 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
maniacal
adjective
ma·ni·a·cal
mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl
variants
also maniac
: affected with or suggestive of madness
Medical Definition
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