Standard Lemma guide

monomania

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌmɒnəʊˈmeɪnɪə/
  • US: /ˌmɑnoʊˈmeɪni.ə/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪniə

1

noun

Meaning 1

Excessive interest or concentration on a singular object or subject.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • It was apparent to all but himself that what was once idle curiosity had become a monomania.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A pathological obsession with one person, thing or idea.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a mania restricted to one thing or idea

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: possession

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mania, passion, cacoethes

History

Etymology

Either: * Formed in English as mono- + mania; * From the French monomanie; or, * From the Modern Latin monomania.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: monomanie — an excessive interest with a single subject
  • Esperanto: monomanio — an excessive interest with a single subject
  • Finnish: monomania — an excessive interest with a single subject
  • French: monomanie — an excessive interest with a single subject
  • Galician: monomanía — an excessive interest with a single subject
  • German: Monomanie — an excessive interest with a single subject
  • Greek: μονομανία (monomanía) — an excessive interest with a single subject
  • Italian: monomania — an excessive interest with a single subject
  • Norwegian Bokmål: monomani — an excessive interest with a single subject
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: monomani — an excessive interest with a single subject
  • Spanish: monomanía — an excessive interest with a single subject
  • Swedish: monomani — an excessive interest with a single subject