mania

¹

[ mey-nee-uh, meyn-yuh ]

noun

1. excessive excitement or enthusiasm; craze:

   The country has a mania for soccer.

2. Psychiatry. manic disorder.

Mania

²

[ mey-nee-uh, meyn-yuh ]

noun

1. an ancient Roman goddess of the dead.

-mania

³

1. a combining form of mania ( megalomania ); extended to mean “enthusiasm, often of an extreme and transient nature,” for that specified by the initial element ( bibliomania ).

mania

¹

/ ˈmeɪnɪə /

noun

1. a mental disorder characterized by great excitement and occasionally violent behaviour See also manic-depressive
2. an obsessional enthusiasm or partiality

   a mania for mushrooms

-mania

²

combining form

1. indicating extreme desire or pleasure of a specified kind or an abnormal excitement aroused by something

   kleptomania

   pyromania

   nymphomania

mania

1. Violent, abnormal, or impulsive behavior. In psychological terms, mania is wild activity associated with manic depression.

Notes

A “mania” in popular terms is an intense enthusiasm or craze.

Derived Forms

• -maniac, combining_form:in_adjectivecombining_form:in_noun:countable

Other Words From

• hyper·mani·a noun
• sub·mani·a noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mania¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin, from Greek manía “madness”; akin to maenad, mind

Word History and Origins

Origin of mania¹

C14: via Late Latin from Greek: madness

Origin of mania²

from mania

Example Sentences

The 27-year-old megastar, who isn’t a brand spokesperson, further fueled the mania by accessorizing her luxury handbags with small Labubu pendants.

From Los Angeles Times

My friends in Los Angeles were texting me — the token New York Yankees fan for most of them — as their elation grew, error after Yankees error, mental blunder after mental blunder, leading to greater and greater Dodgers mania.

From Los Angeles Times

And then—dance mania defined the Roaring ’20s.

From Slate

“It’s like trafficopolypse or something … car mania,” said one Dodger fan sporting a dyed-blue goatee.

From Los Angeles Times

“I was a kid when all of this was happening and I just know that he is someone that is inspiring to not only the Latin culture, but many cultures,” said Vargas, whose mural is titled, “Fernando Mania Forever.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• craving
• craze
• craziness
• enthusiasm
• fad
• fascination
• frenzy
• infatuation
• lunacy
• obsession
• passion
• rage