Word
maniac
Phoneticsma·ni·ac
US/ˈmeɪniˌæk/
UK/mˈeɪnɪˌæk/
Definition
n. someone who behaves in a wild, dangerous, or extremely foolish way. You might use this word to describe a person who is acting out of control or driving too fast.
n. a person exhibiting extremely wild, violent, or irrational behaviour. Often used hyperbolically in modern speech to describe someone acting recklessly or with excessive enthusiasm.
Examples
“Slow down, you are driving like a maniac.”
“The crowd went wild, screaming like a bunch of maniacs when the band finally took the stage.”
Examples
simple
“Slow down, you are driving like a maniac.”
contextual
“The crowd went wild, screaming like a bunch of maniacs when the band finally took the stage.”
Usage
Often used in the prepositional phrase 'like a maniac' to modify verbs of action or movement.
Etymology
From mania + -ac. Borrowed from French maniaque, from Late Latin maniacus, from Ancient Greek μανιακός (maniakós), adjectival form of μανία (manía, “madness”). Compare manic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/maniac