variants
also maniac
as in psychotic
unable to think in a clear or sensible way
The show's maniacal villain has no method to his madness.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of maniacal
Wisecracking, cackling mini-maniac Teddy was the daredevil of the group.
—
Sezin Devi Koehler September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
America’s closest ally was teetering on the precipice of collapse to a maniacal leader, which would give the Nazis control of Europe.
—Doug Most
august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
Cregger’s confident direction and the maniacal commitment of the actor in that late-arrival role allow the comedy to co-exist with horrific violence and escalating suspense in a concluding stretch with a dash of Lord of the Flies.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
John Boyega's ex-Stormtrooper Finn and Han are brothers from another mother, Oscar Isaac's pilot Poe is as cool and refreshing as a tall glass of blue milk, and Adam Driver's Kylo does his best Vader impression as a maniacal villain with some serious emotional issues.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for maniacal
Sezin Devi Koehler September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
America’s closest ally was teetering on the precipice of collapse to a maniacal leader, which would give the Nazis control of Europe.
—Doug Most
august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
Cregger’s confident direction and the maniacal commitment of the actor in that late-arrival role allow the comedy to co-exist with horrific violence and escalating suspense in a concluding stretch with a dash of Lord of the Flies.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
John Boyega's ex-Stormtrooper Finn and Han are brothers from another mother, Oscar Isaac's pilot Poe is as cool and refreshing as a tall glass of blue milk, and Adam Driver's Kylo does his best Vader impression as a maniacal villain with some serious emotional issues.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for maniacal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maniacal
Adjective
-
Austin Butler’s character, the psychotic conspiracy theorist, was hysterical.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
9 Oct. 2025
-
This might sound ridiculous to anyone outside the hive, but Swift actively encourages this kind of analysis and listicle-bait with borderline psychotic schemes.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Whether these experienced hands can keep up with their mad scientists is less clear.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
14 Oct. 2025
-
David’s flagship product is an almost Frankensteinian creation, more mad scientist than culinary.—
Ashley Lutz,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The outpouring of people on social media was insane.—
Wendy Grossman Kantor,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The trailer teases spicy fights, insane games, and twists.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Many teams use crazy pre-snap motion to distract defenses, or rely on versatile, mobile quarterbacks to figure the chaos out.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The fans are going crazy, 50,000.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Maniacal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maniacal. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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