maniacal

adjective

ma·​ni·​a·​cal mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl How to pronounce maniacal (audio)
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
maniacally adverb

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 There's a lot of arrogance in the business and a lot of maniacal people in the business. 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 See More

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of maniacal was in 1526

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.

Kids Definition

maniacal

adjective
ma·​ni·​a·​cal mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl How to pronounce maniacal (audio)
variants also maniac
: affected with or suggestive of madness
maniacally adverb

Medical Definition

maniacal

adjective
ma·​ni·​a·​cal mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl How to pronounce maniacal (audio)
variants also maniac
: manic
maniacally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on maniacal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!