hysteria

American  

[hi-ster-ee-uh, -steer-] / hɪˈstɛr i ə, -ˈstɪər- /

noun

1. an uncontrollable outburst of emotion or fear, often characterized by irrationality, laughter, weeping, etc.

2. Psychoanalysis. a psychoneurotic disorder characterized by violent emotional outbreaks, disturbances of sensory and motor functions, and various abnormal effects due to autosuggestion.

3. Psychiatry. conversion disorder.

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hysteria British  

/ hɪˈstɪərɪə /

noun

1. a mental disorder characterized by emotional outbursts, susceptibility to autosuggestion, and, often, symptoms such as paralysis that mimic the effects of physical disorders See also conversion disorder

2. any frenzied emotional state, esp of laughter or crying

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hysteria Cultural  

1. A complex neurosis in which psychological conflict is turned into physical symptoms, such as amnesia, blindness, and paralysis, that have no underlying physical cause. Early in his career, Sigmund Freud worked on hysteria.

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Other Word Forms

• subhysteria noun

Etymology

Origin of hysteria

First recorded in 1795–1805; hyster(ic) + -ia

Example Sentences

And some of the biggest software-sector declines on Friday seemed largely unrelated to the AI hysteria around Block’s layoffs.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

The Great One has treated backlash to his both-sides act as hysteria.

From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026

That decision prompted Jim Paterson, Lomond Banks' development director, to say opponents of the plan had run a campaign with "baseless and offensive" claims about the plan, claiming this was rooted in "hysteria and mistruth".

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

But both AI boosterism and backlash about AI killing jobs are whipping up public hysteria.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

I laugh, giddy with hysteria as the ground comes closer and closer.

From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

Related Words

• agitation
• delirium
• excitement
• frenzy
• madness
• nervousness
• panic