maniac

ma·ni·ac

noun \ˈmā-nē-ˌak\

Definition of MANIAC

1

: madman, lunatic

2

: a person characterized by an inordinate or ungovernable enthusiasm for something

Examples of MANIAC

1. He's a complete maniac when he's playing football.
2. <they should permanently put away the maniac who is responsible for these kidnappings>

Origin of MANIAC

Late Latin maniacus maniacal, from Greek maniakos, from mania

First Known Use: circa 1763

Related to MANIAC

Synonyms: bug, crackbrain, crazy, fool, fruitcake, head case, loon, loony, lunatic, nut, nutcase, nutter [British slang], psycho, psychopath, sickie, sicko, wacko (also whacko)

Antonyms: nonfan

Related Words: madman, madwoman; abnormal, deviant; manic-depressive, monomaniac, mythomaniac, neurotic, obsessive, obsessive-compulsive, paranoid, psychoneurotic, psychotic, schizo, schizoid, schizophrene, schizophrenic, sociopath; character, codger, crack, crackpot, crank, eccentric, fantastic (also fantastical), flake, kook, oddball, oddity, original, quiz, screwball, tyke (also tike) [chiefly British], weirdo, zany; case, patient

Near Antonyms: nonadmirer; belittler, carper, critic, detractor

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Other Psychology Terms

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

Rhymes with MANIAC

almanac, amberjack, anorak, antiblack, applejack, Arawak, Aurillac, back-to-back, bivouac, black-on-black, brainiac, bric-a-brac, Cadillac, camelback, canvasback, cardiac, carryback, celiac, cornerback, Cousin Jack, crackerjack, cul-de-sac, diamondback, fiddleback, Gay-Lussac, gunnysack, hackmatack, haversack, high-low-jack, huckaback, hydrocrack, iliac, ipecac, Kodiak, ladder-back, leatherback, lumberjack, medevac, Merrimack, mommy track, multipack, nunatak, Nunivak, off-the-rack, paperback, Pasternak, piggyback, quarterback, razorback, retropack, running back, sandarac, Sarawak, silverback, single-track, snapper-back, steeplejack, stickleback, Syriac, tamarack, theriac, tokamak, turtleback, umiak, Unimak, zodiac