hysteria

[ hi-ster-ee-uh, -steer- ]

/ hɪˈstɛr i ə, -ˈstɪər- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for hysteria on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

Psychiatry. conversion disorder.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Compare mass hysteria.

Origin of hysteria

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

OTHER WORDS FROM hysteria

sub·hys·te·ri·a, noun

Words nearby hysteria

hysterectomize, hysterectomy, hysteresis, hysteresis loop, hysteresis loss, hysteria, hysteric, hysterical, hysterically, hysterics, hystero-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hysteria in a sentence

Over the weekend, a GameStop store in Maryland illustrated the disconnect between the Wall Street hysteria that has sent the company’s stock price to dizzying heights and the video game retailer’s real-world struggles.
Despite record stock surge, GameStop is still struggling to stay afloat|Abha Bhattarai, Taylor Telford|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
The ensuing hysteria led to sheriffs’ offices and firefighters wasting critical time and resources on nuisance calls.
Facebook’s new tool to stop fake news is a game changer—if the company would only use it|Jeff|October 18, 2020|Fortune
Given the risk of misinformation before and even more important immediately after the election, anything that tamps down the hysteria out there is particularly needed.
The member of Congress who’s trying to stop QAnon|Rebecca Heilweil|October 9, 2020|Vox
So that’s been my kind of push and effort to make sure we do things smartly, common sense, avoid the hysteria, get people back to work and get people healthy at the same time.
Supervisor by Day, But a COVID-19 Skeptic on the Airwaves|Katy Stegall|August 20, 2020|Voice of San Diego

I’m just trying to make sure the … numbers match the hysteria and that’s not the case right now.
Supervisor by Day, But a COVID-19 Skeptic on the Airwaves|Katy Stegall|August 20, 2020|Voice of San Diego
“Vicious pecking, avian hysteria, mysterious deaths, and even cannibalism” are the results, he writes.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The best way to fix the Internet would be to let the Kardashian butt hysteria die down.
#FixTheInternet: The Hashtag That Beat Back Kim Kardashian’s Butt|Emily Shire|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Korematsu knew firsthand the dangers of war-time hysteria and pleaded that we not make that mistake again.
Obama’s ISIS War Is Illegal|Sen. Rand Paul|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I might suggest a title: “Andromeda Strain 2: The Predictable Hysteria.”
Disease History Vs. Disease Hysteria|Kevin Bleyer|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the time, before ISIS had conquered Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, the attack evoked outrage but not hysteria.
French Jihadi Mehdi Nemmouche Is the Shape of Terror to Come|Christopher Dickey|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Its internal uses are in hysteria, and 136 in such conditions as diarrhoea, dysentery and cholera.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2|Various
The walking may simulate paralytic forms if hysteria is mixed with the neurasthenia.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
There is no direct connection between hysteria and the disorders of the sexual organs.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
The Tarantism so common in Italy from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century is another example of epidemic hysteria.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
There are numerous theories formulated to explain hysteria; some are ingenious, especially that of Janet, but none is convincing.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley

British Dictionary definitions for hysteria

hysteria

/ (hɪˈstɪərɪə) /

noun

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

any frenzied emotional state, esp of laughter or crying

Word Origin for hysteria

C19: from New Latin, from Latin hystericus hysteric

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for hysteria

hysteria

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.

hysteria

Origin of hysteria

OTHER WORDS FROM hysteria

Words nearby hysteria

Words related to hysteria

How to use hysteria in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hysteria

Word Origin for hysteria

Cultural definitions for hysteria