maniacal

adjective

ma·​ni·​a·​cal mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl 

variants or less commonly maniac

ˈmā-nē-ˌak 

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

maniacally

mə-ˈnī-ə-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

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

Only here, the goal was more lighthearted and the audience did succeed in freeing the performers from the clutches of a exaggeratedly maniacal owner. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025

Leave it to Cage’s maniacal intensity to make a sunny, wide-open seaside locale feel claustrophobic. —Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 3 May 2025

Even the songs that go viral on TikTok—a platform that already demands a kind of maniacal concision—often have their tempos increased in order to arrive at the hook sooner. —Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025

Natalia Grace isn’t some maniacal scammer hellbent on tearing a family apart; Natalia is a child, desperate to be part of a family after a lifetime of longing to be loved. —Barry Levitt, Time, 9 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French maniaque "mad, frenzied" & its source, Late Latin maniacus + -al entry 1 — more at maniac entry 1

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for maniacal

• demoniacal

Kids Definition

maniacal

adjective

ma·​ni·​a·​cal mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl 

variants also maniac

ˈmā-nē-ˌak 

: affected with or suggestive of madness

maniacally

mə-ˈnī-ə-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

maniacal

adjective

ma·​ni·​a·​cal mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl 

variants also maniac

ˈmā-nē-ak 

: manic

maniacally

mə-ˈnī-ə-k(ə-)lē 

adverb