hysterical

[ hi-ster-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. uncontrollably emotional.
2. irrational from fear, emotion, or an emotional shock.
3. causing unrestrained laughter; very funny:

   Oh, that joke is hysterical!

   Synonyms: ludicrous, laughable, uproarious, hilarious

4. Psychoanalysis, Psychiatry.
   1. of, relating to, or characterized by hysteria:

      hysterical psychosis.

   2. causing hysteria.
   3. experiencing or subject to hysteria:

      hysterical patients.

hysterical

/ hɪˈstɛrɪkəl /

adjective

1. of or suggesting hysteria

   hysterical cries

2. suffering from hysteria
3. informal.
   wildly funny

Derived Forms

• hysˈterically, adverb

Other Words From

• hys·ter·i·cal·ly adverb
• o·ver·hys·ter·i·cal adjective
• post·hys·ter·i·cal adjective
• sem·i·hys·ter·i·cal adjective
• un·hys·ter·i·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hysterical¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin hysteric(us) hysteric + -al ¹

Example Sentences

“They treated me like I was being hysterical,” she says, and ordered her to stay off of Google and to stop talking to Collins.

From Popular-Science

The historical—and hysterical—idea that women’s excessive emotions have profound influences on their bodies, and vice versa, is impressed like a photographic negative beneath today’s image of the attention-seeking, hypochondriac female patient.

From Time

Cook could not be sure whether Lecointe’s paralysis indicated a terminal stage of scurvy or a hysterical reaction.

From Time

Those comics hew toward rather sexist tropes about the hysterical woman.

From Time

I remembered my mother, who’d spent so much time in mental hospitals, psychiatric wards, her whole life cycling between being overmedicated, under-medicated, ignored, treated like a hysterical woman who couldn’t care for herself.

From Time

What follows is hysterical, painful, weird, and strangely touching—a true Festivus for the rest of us.

From The Daily Beast

As a former arts teacher, she feels compelled to help the now-hysterical young boy.

From The Daily Beast

Every night, I speak to the islands of the Caribbean in the language of hysterical storms.

From The Daily Beast

They converted what should have been a long-overdue moral reckoning into a shallow and hysterical ratings bonanza.

From The Daily Beast

But Robin Williams will, sadly, no longer be sending us into hysterical fits of laughter.

From The Daily Beast

Madame Lebrun grew a trifle hysterical; Robert called his brother some sharp, hard names.

From Project Gutenberg

Impudent and reckless us he had been all his life, he was now more timid and nervous than an hysterical girl.

From Project Gutenberg

I know quantities of hysterical European women make fools of themselves out here, but I am not hysterical, I assure you.

From Project Gutenberg

She snatched them from him, and burst into a fit of hysterical crying, which ended in a faintness almost as of death.

From Project Gutenberg

His men sprang into the guard-room of the keep, realizing from his almost hysterical manner the urgent need for haste.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• agitated
• crazy
• distraught
• emotional
• frantic
• frenzied
• furious
• impassioned
• mad
• nervous
• neurotic
• overwrought
• passionate
• uncontrollable
• vehement
• violent

About This Word

More context on hysterical

In everyday usage, hysterical means “uncontrollably emotional.”

But guess who usually gets marked with that label? Women. What’s more, hysterical comes from the Greek word for “womb.” It was once thought that hysteria was a condition that only affected women—and was caused by disturbances in the uterus.

Given the sexism associated with this word, hysterical isn’t exactly a laughing matter.

If knowing the history of hysterical has got you reflecting on your word choices, this slideshow, “These Common Words Have Offensive Histories,” discusses many other words whose place in your vocab you may want to reconsider. 

Keep in mind …

Due to the history of hysterical, you may want to consider some less sensitive synonyms, such as frantic, frenzied, impassioned, or vehement.

Informally, hysterical is also often used to refer to something “extremely funny.” Here are some other synonyms you can try:

• comedic
• hilarious
• silly
• whimsical

Looking for more synonyms for funny? We’ve got loads more at Thesaurus.com.