monomania

[ mon-uh-mey-nee-uh, -meyn-yuh ]
See synonyms for: monomaniamonomaniacalmonomaniac on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. (no longer in technical use) a psychosis characterized by thoughts confined to one idea or group of ideas.

  2. an inordinate or obsessive zeal for or interest in a single thing, idea, subject, or the like.

Origin of monomania

1
From New Latin, dating back to 1815–25; see origin at mono-, -mania

Other words from monomania

  • mon·o·ma·ni·ac [mon-uh-mey-nee-ak], /ˌmɒn əˈmeɪ niˌæk/, noun
  • mon·o·ma·ni·a·cal [mon-uh-muh-nahy-uh-kuhl], /ˌmɒn ə məˈnaɪ ə kəl/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use monomania in a sentence

  • When a government with tens of billions of dollars to spend becomes monomaniacal, Great Things can be accomplished.

    Subjectivity | Norman Spinrad
  • Hysterical, like epileptic, subjects often suffer from melancholia or monomaniacal delirium.

    Criminal Man | Gina Lombroso-Ferrero

British Dictionary definitions for monomania

monomania

/ (ˌmɒnəʊˈmeɪnɪə) /


noun
  1. an excessive mental preoccupation with one thing, idea, etc

Derived forms of monomania

  • monomaniac, noun, adjective
  • monomaniacal (ˌmɒnəʊməˈnaɪəkəl), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012