mania
/ˈmeɪniə/ (bre, ipa) · [mˈeniə] /ˈmeɪniə/ (ame, ipa) · [mˈeniə] /ˈmā-nē-ə -nyə/ (ame, mw)
mania — noun
- maniasingular
- maniasplural
1. an extreme enthusiasm or obsession with a particular activity, subject, or thing
an extreme enthusiasm or obsession with a particular activity, subject, or thing that takes over someone's thoughts and daily life
Vinícius developed a sudden mania for collecting vintage Brazilian football shirts.
mania for + gerund: a sudden mania for collecting
The whole neighbourhood caught running mania after the new park opened.
Hana's mania for Korean dramas meant she stayed up until three every night.
A mania for sourdough baking swept through the office during the long lockdown.
Walid called his brother's gym mania a healthy kind of madness.
- indifference
complete lack of interest, the opposite of being consumed by something
文法句型
mania for + noun
mania for + gerund
用法筆記
Often used with 'for' to name the object of enthusiasm. This is the most common everyday sense; it can describe both personal obsessions and widespread crazes shared by many people.
2. a mental state in which all of a person's attention is fixed on a single idea or
a mental state in which all of a person's attention is fixed on a single idea or activity, leaving no room for anything else
Ritu's mania for tidying every drawer in the house worried her flatmates.
mania for + gerund: her mania for tidying
In the final weeks before the exam, studying became a mania that consumed Ilan completely.
Astrid worked on her model ship with such mania that she forgot to eat lunch.
The writer's mania for perfect sentences meant each page took a full week.
- fixation
emphasises being stuck on one thing, often with a psychological tone
- compulsion
stresses the feeling of being driven by an irresistible urge
- monomania
literary term for obsession with a single subject; now rare outside academic writing
文法句型
mania for + noun
such mania that + clause
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (INTENSE OBSESSION): this sense emphasises the narrowing of attention — the person sees only one thing — rather than the enthusiasm itself. Can describe both everyday single-mindedness (cleaning mania) and clinical fixations (persecution mania).
3. a clinical condition marked by abnormally high energy, racing thoughts, reduced
a clinical condition marked by abnormally high energy, racing thoughts, reduced need for sleep, and intense euphoria; a core feature of bipolar disorder
During a manic episode, Lien talked non-stop and started three new businesses in one week.
clinical context: during a manic episode
The psychiatrist explained that mania can make a person feel invincible and full of energy.
Zola's family noticed the warning signs of mania: racing speech and almost no sleep.
Nadia's severe mania drove her to spend her rent money on a sports car she couldn't afford.
Benjamin recognised his mania returning when colours seemed brighter and ideas came too fast.
- manic episode
the full clinical term; more precise in medical contexts
- hypermania
technical; rarely used outside psychiatry
- depression
the opposite pole in bipolar disorder, marked by low energy and mood
文法句型
suffer from mania
signs of mania
treated for mania
用法筆記
A technical term in psychiatry. In everyday speech people may use 'mania' loosely for intense excitement, but clinically it refers to a specific manic episode that often alternates with periods of depression in bipolar disorder.