mania-, -mania, -maniac, -maniacal, -manic, -manically, -maniacally

(Greek: a specific mental disorder or obsessive preoccupation with something; madness, frenzy; obsession, or abnormal desire for or with something or someone; also, an excessive enthusiasm or fondness for something that is not safe or advantageous)

oestromania, oestromaniac
Hypersexuality in females or nymphomania.
oikomania, oikiomania, oicomania
1. A mental disorder caused by some kind of wretched or abusive domestic circumstances.
2. An obsessive craving or desire to be at home or a morbid attitude toward the members of one’s family.
oligomania
A madness which shows itself in just a few aspects or on a few subjects.
omomania
oniomania (OH nee uh may" nee uh, uh nee uh MAY nee uh) (s) (noun), oniomanias (pl)
1. A morbidly exaggerated need or urge to buy beyond the realistic needs of the individual: Monroe's wife obviously has an oniomania because she has been constantly going to so many stores and continually obtaining products that are unnecessary and causing him to return them for refunds as often as possible.
2. A compulsive buying disorder (CBD) or a spending spree: Oniomania is characterized by an obsession with a shopping and buying behavior that causes adverse consequences.

Oniomania is not limited to people who spend beyond their means; it also involves people who spend an abnormal amount of time shopping or who chronically think about buying things but never actually purchase them.

The consequences of oniomania can be devastating with marriages, long-term relationships, and jobs.

The resulting stress caused by oniomanias can lead to physical health and mental problems and ruined relationships, or even suicide.

—Compiled from a variety of sources on and off the internet.
A mania for an excessive desire to buy things.

An undisciplined and uncontrollable objective to buy and buy many more things than necessary.
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oniomaniac (oh nee uh MAY nee ak) (s) (noun), oniomaniacs (pl)
1. Someone who has a compulsive and uncontrollable desire to go shopping and to procure as many things as possible: Even though Mike's wife never has the funds to pay for them, she has no control over herself to stop trying to get all kinds of items from various shopping centers.

The characteristics of oniomaniacs and their shopping disorders include:

  • A preoccupation with shopping for unneeded items.
  • Spending a great deal of time doing research on desired items and/or shopping for unneeded items.
  • Financial difficulties because of uncontrolled shopping.
  • Problems at work, school or home because of uncontrolled shopping.

Research has shown that the shopping behaviors of oniomaniacs are often accompanied by depression, anxiety and other negative emotions.

Common articles purchased by an oniomaniac include clothes, shoes, jewelry and household items; such as, containers, dishes, etc., with many oniomaniacs being unable to resist items; especially, when they are on sale.

Most oniomaniacs prefer to shop alone or online rather than having potential embarrassments by shopping with someone else.

—Compiled from a variety of sources on and off the internet.
2. Etymology: from Greek onios, "for sale" and mania, "a craze"; from the Greek via Latin, "madness".

The following cartoon helps to understand what an oniomaniac is even though it is referring to oniomania.

Descriptive of excessive buying of products.
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Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

onomamania
A rage or madness about a name or names.
onomatomania
1. A mania for names or an irresistible impulse to repeat it over and over.
2. A morbid preoccupation with words and names or a mania for word-making.
3. A preoccupation with words and names.
4. An abnormal impulse to dwell upon certain words and their supposed significance or to frantically try to recall a particular word.
onomatomaniac
Someone who has an obsession with a particular word which the person uses repeatedly or which intrudes into his or her consciousness.
onychotillomania
1. An excessive neurotic tendency to pick at (or to pull out) one's fingernails, or toenails.
2. The neurotic picking at a nail until it is permanently altered.
ophidiomania
An excessive interest in snakes or other reptiles including a great interest in observing them, studying them, and having them as pets.
opiomania
Excessive craving for opium or opiates in general.
opsomania (noun)
1. A pathological or morbid yearning for delicacies or for some specific food.
2. A pathological craving for sweets, such as may occur in binge-eating syndrome.
3. A longing for a particular article of diet, or for highly seasoned food.
4. A morbid craving for rich foods and delicate fare.
opsomaniac (s), opsmaniacs (pl) (noun forms)
Those who love some particular kind of food to the point of insanity.
orchestromania
A compulsion to dance.
Quiz You can find self-scoring quizzes over many of the words in this subject area by going to this Compulsive Behavior page.

Cross references of word families that are related directly, or indirectly, to: "anger, angry; rage, wrath, fury; rave": fur-, furi-; ira-; lysso-; rab-, rav-.