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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Mia Goth shines as the maniacal Pearl, a lonely farm girl trapped at home in rural Texas with her controlling mother (Tandi Wright) and infirm father (Matthew Sunderland) while her husband, Howard (Alistair Sewell), is serving in World War I. Pearl has fervent dreams of becoming a Hollywood star. Megan McCluskey, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024 Like Rose, Skye is constantly haunted by visions controlled by the entity, including chilling sights of people flashing maniacal smiles on their faces. Tim Lammers, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024 These pals, along with their funny friends, set out to have some fun in the Catskills and ended up putting together a must-see movie that transports you on a road trip full of maniacal laughs, heartwarming laughs and even a few crying laughs. Ali Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024 After calling a late-night party hotline that promises out-of-this-world fun, uptight yuppie Conor Sweeney must battle the pint-sized forces of evil unleashed through his phone line, led by the maniacal rock n’ roll goblin Frankie Freako. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for maniacal 

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 14 Nov. 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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