hysteria
Americannoun
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an uncontrollable outburst of emotion or fear, often characterized by irrationality, laughter, weeping, etc.
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Psychoanalysis. a psychoneurotic disorder characterized by violent emotional outbreaks, disturbances of sensory and motor functions, and various abnormal effects due to autosuggestion.
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Psychiatry. conversion disorder.
noun
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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
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any frenzied emotional state, esp of laughter or crying
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing hysteria
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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.
Some on the "Hysteria" podcast agreed with Valenti.
From Salon • Dec. 18, 2024
Hysteria about pedophiles, driven by conspiracy theories, has trampled truth.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2023
Hysteria is the default mode of many Americans of all persuasions who engage in civic arguments.
From Washington Post • May 3, 2022
A former flight attendant, Ms Blauel started working in London's Air recording studios in the early 1980s, gaining credits on albums such as Duran Duran's Rio and The Human League's Hysteria.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2020
Hysteria in one horse causes hysteria in others, especially in the young and spirited.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
