mania

noun

ˈmā-nē-ə How to pronounce mania (audio)
Definition of manianext
1
as in dementia
a serious mental disorder that prevents one from living a safe and normal life that form of mania often manifests itself in excessive and often incoherent talkativeness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obsession
something about which one is constantly thinking or concerned his wife was baffled and amused by his mania for old comic books

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mania The issue looks at lots of the things that defined the decade — from Seinfeld topping the TV ratings to Titanic mania sweeping the nation. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026 It’s been a little more than a week since a stout, scrappy raccoon captured the internet's heart, and Jimothy mania is showing no signs of slowing down. — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 25 July 2026 At the peak of its mania back in 2017, Rick and Morty cultivated a fanbase that, to put it kindly, was a bit much. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026 That dynamic was evident in South Korea, which has experienced a nationwide stock-trading mania as chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung ride the AI wave. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 18 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for mania
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mania
  1. dementia
  2. obsession
  3. insanity
  4. hysteria
  5. madness
  6. schizophrenia
Noun
  • Yet when a parent develops dementia, can no longer live independently or suddenly needs care, millions of families are forced to navigate one of life’s most complex transitions largely on their own.
    — Samir Shah, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Lewy body dementia can progressively affect thinking, memory and behavior, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
    — Charlie Carballo, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of dementia
Noun
  • For King, the film represented an opportunity to not just translate her online charisma into feature acting, but to reclaim some of the power that can disappear when a creator becomes the object of someone else’s obsession.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The brand hit shelves as consumers’ obsession with protein was kicking into high gear.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of obsession
Noun
  • The law revised Kentucky’s insanity defense and mandatory reentry supervision rules in response to issues raised by Exantus’ case.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • If certain compounds could seemingly induce the symptoms of insanity, then perhaps insanity was a result of faulty brain chemistry—and could thus be treated with psychiatric drugs.
    — Kimon de Greef, Longreads, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of insanity
Noun
  • The wider track record is poor, women with multiple sclerosis were diagnosed with hysteria for decades before the disease was reliably recognized in them.
    — Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Immediately after the trade was announced on Saturday night, hysteria swept through the baseball world.
    — Daniela Suarez, NBC news, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of hysteria
Noun
  • The morning of the wedding could be spent escaping the madness for a moment of peace among the trees, or arranging a pre-wedding morning coffee overlooking the estate.
    — Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Back in King’s Landing, Rhaenyra comes to find that her prisoner Helaena has taken her own life but left a parting gift for the queen that foreshadows a potential prophecy of Rhaenyra’s path towards madness.
    — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of madness
Noun
  • In the last three decades, as involuntary outpatient treatment for people with serious mental health conditions like schizophrenia have expanded to almost every state, the evidence for these programs’ efficacy has remained murky.
    — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Colt did not have any signs of insanity, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, Richards said.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
Definition of schizophrenia

Browse Nearby Words

manhood
mania
maniac
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mania.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mania. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on mania

Nglish: Translation of mania for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mania

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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All