mass hysteria
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of mass hysteria
First recorded in 1930–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This is very bad, although hardly a Ghostbusters-style, apocalyptic vision that includes human sacrifice and mass hysteria.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
"With the look of the wolf - as we've seen with the Preston three - if you get one wandering, you get mass hysteria."
From BBC • Jan. 11, 2026
She has them read books such as The Crucible and the Lord of the Flies to teach about the dangers of mass hysteria and group vilification.
From Slate • Dec. 5, 2025
In some cases, they have attributed reported health-effects from fume exposure to factors including hyperventilation, jet lag, psychological stress, mass hysteria and malingering.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 14, 2025
But the press and the Princeton study painted a picture of nationwide mass hysteria.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
