hysteria

American  

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

noun

• hysterias
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• subhysteria
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hysterias
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hysteria

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

Explanation

Hysteria is a medical condition or general state of extreme fear and panic. When hysteria sets in, people are out of control. In a medical sense, people who are feeling hysteria may be violent and having trouble perceiving reality. In a more general sense, when someone is hysterical, they're out of control — freaking out. Hysteria is the opposite of calmness. It's really a state of emotional chaos that often takes over during natural disasters and scary moments. Or if you're a 13 year old girl, when you go to a concert for your favorite boy band.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hysteria hysterias

While France's superstars dazzled on the pitch, the final is, however, remembered for pre-match hysteria surrounding the world's best player, Brazil striker Ronaldo.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Perspective tends especially to fail when the industry charged with producing hysteria about change undergoes change itself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

The second pilot meets their passengers’ fear with hysteria, shrieking, outburst—that pilot shames their passengers, saying, “I can’t do my job because of YOU.”

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

On TikTok and Instagram, the protein hysteria reached a fever pitch.

From Salon ● May 7, 2026

It was Lillian who began to laugh and it spread to her children and possessed them, a laughter one part hysteria and one part relief.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

That should cover the hysterias of the moment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2024

These photos can be constant reminders, during today’s serial hysterias, of the sorrow that has accompanied the pursuit of a more perfect union.

From Washington Post ● May 6, 2021

Instead, it’s enough to send us into tiny hysterias throughout the day: Do I need to top off my battery before heading out for the night?

From The Verge ● Aug. 17, 2018

Motor mass hysterias — twitching, fainting, stuttering — are more rare and draw more attention.

From New York Times ● Mar. 7, 2012

These hysterias are well known to anybody who spends any time online, though the incidents are extraordinarily rare when viewed in proportion to total Net and Web use.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Related Words

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