mania

1 of 2

noun

ma·​nia ˈmā-nē-ə 

-nyə

1

: excitement manifested by mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganization of behavior, and elevation of mood

specifically : the manic phase of bipolar disorder

2

a

: excessive or unreasonable enthusiasm

a mania for saving things

—often used in combination

b

: the object of such enthusiasm

His current mania is football.

-mania

2 of 2

noun combining form

1

a

: mental illness

monomania

b

: excessive or abnormal propensity or desire

pyromania

trichotillomania

2

: absorbing interest : extreme enthusiasm

balletomania

bibliomania

Synonyms

Noun

• aberration
• dementia
• derangement
• insanity
• lunacy
• madness
• rage [archaic]

Examples of mania in a Sentence

Noun

She would typically experience a period of mania and then suddenly become deeply depressed.

The entire city has been gripped by baseball mania.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Messi mania has not just benefited MLS and Inter Miami. —Asli Pelit, Sportico.com, 19 June 2024

In all the little towns and villages, the sense of adoration for the 200 or so returning World War II veterans bordered on mania. —Catherine Porter, New York Times, 11 June 2024

Nobody is better at believably playing out this sort of increasing mania than Cage. —Rachel Handler, Vulture, 18 May 2024

Call it revisionist thinking, but Bakish’s strategy of spending big to build up Paramount+ subscribers was influenced by the mania that developed around streaming as Netflix came on strong. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 19 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "mental disorder, frenzy," borrowed from Late Latin, borrowed from Greek manía "madness, frenzy," noun derivative (with -ia -ia entry 1) from the base of maínomai, maínesthai "to rage, rave, be frenzied, be out of one's mind," going back to an Indo-European present stem *mn̥-i̯é- (from the verbal base *men- "form a thought"), whence also Old Irish doˑmoinethar "(s/he) supposes, expects," Sanskrit mányate "(s/he) thinks," Avestan mainiieṇte "(they) consider, take for"; also as stative verbs (< *mn̥-h₂i̯é-?) Old Church Slavic mĭnjǫ, mĭněti "to think, suppose," Lithuanian miniù, minė́ti "to mention, commemorate" — more at mind entry 1

Noun combining form

borrowed from Greek -mania, combining form from manía "madness, frenzy" — more at mania

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

mania

noun

ma·​nia ˈmā-nē-ə 

-nyə

1

: excitement that is expressed through excessive physical and mental activity and extreme cheerfulness

2

: excessive enthusiasm : craze

had a mania for saving things

Medical Definition

mania

noun

ma·​nia ˈmā-nē-ə, -nyə 

: excitement of psychotic proportions manifested by mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganization of behavior, and elevation of mood

specifically : the manic phase of bipolar disorder