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monomaniac

monomaniac

1 9.9
A person who thinks about one idea so much they ignore other things
  • noun
  • /ˌmɒnəˈmeɪniæk/
  • Archaic
translation icon : monomaníaco
  • HILL, YOU ARE A MONOMANIAC ON THIS SUBJECT.

Examples

  • The artist was a monomaniac about her painting, spending hours on a single canvas without taking breaks.

  • Despite his many talents, he has become a monomaniac focused solely on his latest invention.

  • I thought he must be a kind of monomaniac.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • You are a bit of a monomaniac, aren't you?

    Blog text (12)
  • He often repeated, with approval, a friend's characterization of him as "the only monomaniac with several manias."

    Academic text (2004)
  • Many considered him a monomaniac for his intense dedication to studying ancient history.

Synonyms

maniac
vsmonomaniac
  • Offensive
78 6.8

A person who likes something so much it seems extreme

centres obsession on one subject to the exclusion of others
addict
vsmonomaniac
  • Informal
37 4.7

A person who likes an activity very much and spends a lot of time doing it

is specific to one idea rather than general strong interest
fiend
vsmonomaniac
  • Informal
35 7.5

A person who loves something and spends a lot of time on it

restricts concern to a single idea and ignores other concerns
obsessive
vsmonomaniac
1 6.5

A person who thinks about one thing too much in a way that harms them

focuses on one single subject and excludes other interests
obsessor
vsmonomaniac
8.1

A person who thinks about one thing too much

keeps attention narrowly on a single subject rather than many
junky
vsmonomaniac
  • Slang
7.9

A person who is very interested in one thing, like games or news

means fixation on a solitary subject excluding other activities

How Obsessed

monomaniac
  • Archaic
1 9.9
obsessive
1 6.5

Surface Forms

monomaniac singular
monomaniacs plural

Morphology

monomaniac = maniac (semi-transparent) = mono + maniac

The prefix mono- clearly contributes the sense of 'single', but the overall meaning is only partly predictable because maniac has a specialized obsessive sense.

Etymology

Monomaniac comes from Greek parts mono- meaning 'one' and mania meaning 'madness' or 'obsession', like mono- in monopoly or monologue which also mean 'one'. So a monomaniac is a person who becomes obsessed with a single idea or subject.