Definition

Adjective: * Obsessed with a single subject or idea: Describes a person who is excessively and irrationally focused on one particular thing, to the exclusion of almost everything else.

Usage

The adjective "monomaniacal" is used to describe an extreme, singular focus that is often unhealthy or abnormal. It implies a fixation that is so intense it resembles a mental obsession or mania. It is a formal and somewhat clinical term.

Examples

• His monomaniacal pursuit of wealth destroyed his personal relationships.
• The artist was monomaniacal about perfecting the shading in that single painting, working on it for years.
• She had a monomaniacal interest in 18th-century porcelain, filling her entire house with her collection.

Advanced Usage

• "Monomaniacal focus/dedication/determination": This phrase is sometimes used in a slightly less pathological, though still extreme, sense to describe an intense, single-minded drive toward a goal.
  • The athlete's monomaniacal dedication to training was the key to her Olympic success.

Variants and Related Words

• Monomania (noun): The condition of being obsessed with a single thing.
  • His monomania for cleanliness made it difficult for others to live with him.
• Monomaniac (noun): A person who has a monomania.
  • He was considered a monomaniac on the subject of conspiracy theories.

Synonyms

• Obsessive
• Fixated
• Preoccupied
• Single-minded (can be neutral or positive, while "monomaniacal" is usually negative)
• Compulsive

Antonyms

• Balanced
• Diversified
• Broad-minded
• Casual
• Uninterested

Adjective

1. obsessed with a single subject or idea