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 The plot is simplicity itself, but each of the villains has his own maniacal flavor. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 In all of comics, there is no rogue’s gallery more garish, more inspired, or more maniacal than the Joker, Two-Face, the Penguin, and the Scarecrow. Josh Weiss, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 However, Xi then rose, a decade ago, as the new, though less maniacal Mao, ensuring the end of that era much sooner than 2047. Doug Bandow, National Review, 10 Feb. 2024 Bowles does not have Gruden’s maniacal intensity on the sideline. John Romano, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2024 The film follows three kids (Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, and Spencer Locke) who are worried that a neighboring home is secretly a maniacal monster. Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2023 Since his debut in 2011’s Thor, Tom Hiddleston’s god of mischief has died and been resurrected too many times to count, evolving from angsty little brother to maniacal villain to reluctant hero in his own right. EW.com, 15 Nov. 2023 Hairless, bulky and blessed with a world-class maniacal grin, this Rautha is 100-percent psychotic. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2024 Carla Benítez was the virtuosic violinist whose maniacal playing caused her bow to lose more hairs than Homer Simpson. Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Feb. 2024

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 28 Mar. 2024.

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
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