maniacal
adjective
ma·ni·a·cal
mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl 
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
Synonyms
- balmy
- barmy [chiefly British]
- bats
- batty
- bedlam
- bonkers
- brainsick
- bughouse [slang]
- certifiable
- crackbrained
- cracked
- crackers
- crackpot
- cranky [dialect]
- crazed
- crazy
- cuckoo
- daffy
- daft
- demented
- deranged
- fruity [slang]
- gaga
- haywire
- insane
- kooky
- kookie
- loco [slang]
- loony
- looney
- loony tunes
- looney tunes
- lunatic
- mad
- mental
- meshuga
- meshugge
- meshugah
- meshuggah
- moonstruck
- non compos mentis
- nuts
- nutty
- psycho
- psychotic
- scatty [chiefly British]
- screwy
- unbalanced
- unhinged
- unsound
- wacko
- whacko
- wacky
- whacky
- wud [chiefly Scottish]
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
In Ulrich’s defense, Lillard admits that his maniacal performance at the film's end is 100 percent scenery-chewing.
—
Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024
His eccentricities — once easily dismissed as the affectations of a lonely man — read maniacal.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for maniacal 
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Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024
His eccentricities — once easily dismissed as the affectations of a lonely man — read maniacal.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for maniacal
Dictionary Entries Near maniacal
Cite this Entry
“Maniacal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maniacal. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
maniacal
adjective
ma·ni·a·cal
mə-ˈnī-ə-kəl
variants
also maniac
: affected with or suggestive of madness
Medical Definition
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