monomania

noun mono·ma·nia \ ˌmä-nə-ˈmā-nē-ə , -nyə \

Definition of monomania

1 : mental illness especially when limited in expression to one idea or area of thought

2 : excessive concentration on a single object or idea

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monomaniac

play \-nē-ˌak\ noun or adjective

—

monomaniacal

play \-mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl\ adjective

—

monomaniacally

play \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Recent Examples of monomania from the Web

Polar monomania is the subject and driving force behind this curious book, a composite of capsule history, essays and fictionalized memoir.

— sam sacks, WSJ, "Fiction Chronicles: The Intoxicating Attraction of the Abyss," 8 June 2018
The textualist monomania seems to grate especially on Ginsburg, who was famously close with Scalia.

— simon van zuylen-wood, Daily Intelligencer, "How Neil Gorsuch Became the Second-Most-Polarizing Man in Washington," 28 May 2018
Fischer’s defiant monomania already had many worried during his adolescence.

— ann hulbert, Time, "What Parents Can Learn From Steve Jobs and Bill Gates About Raising a Prodigy," 10 Jan. 2018
Thank You for Being Late offers invaluable, if perhaps inadvertent, insight into the technologists’ cold monomania.

— justin peters, Slate Magazine, "Tom Friedman’s oracular pretensions have never felt more ridiculous than they do in his latest best-seller.," 17 Jan. 2017
The user @ProTrump45 is gone, for now, but Trump’s tweet, which contains a blank space where Nicole’s message would be, remains a monument to his monomania.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Trump Falls for His Own Propaganda Machine," 8 Aug. 2017
Mayer means it as trash-talk—but that kind of monomania may be necessary to primary a president.

— vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, "The G.O.P. Race to Primary Trump Has Already Begun," 5 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'monomania.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of monomania

New Latin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1815

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

Medical Dictionary

monomania

noun mono·ma·nia \ ˌmän-ə-ˈmā-nē-ə, -nyə \

medical Definition of monomania

: mental illness especially when limited in expression to one idea or area of thought

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monomania

Definition of monomania

monomaniac

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monomaniacally

Recent Examples of monomania from the Web

Origin and Etymology of monomania

Other Psychology Terms

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monomania

medical Definition of monomania

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medical Definition of monomania

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