hysterical
Americanadjective
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uncontrollably emotional.
-
irrational from fear, emotion, or an emotional shock.
-
causing unrestrained laughter; very funny.
Oh, that joke is hysterical!
- Synonyms:
- ludicrous, laughable, uproarious, hilarious
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Psychoanalysis, Psychiatry.
adjective
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of or suggesting hysteria
hysterical cries
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suffering from hysteria
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informal wildly funny
Usage
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.Other Word Forms
- hysterically adverb
- overhysterical adjective
- posthysterical adjective
- semihysterical adjective
- unhysterical adjective
Etymology
Origin of hysterical
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin hysteric(us) hysteric + -al 1
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.
Often, they’re the same thing, like Byrne’s stiff blonde wig or her set of fake teeth that impede several lines of dialogue to hysterical results.
From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026
The presentation is just a tiny bit hysterical.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
“All the boys have them,” one female White House aide told the Journal, while another joked that “it’s hysterical because everybody’s afraid not to wear them.”
From Slate • Mar. 14, 2026
Lader, 40, described "grabbing babies who were being schlepped across the street, and finding parents who were hysterical that their kids weren't here."
From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026
I was hysterical and tried to swipe them from her hands, but Apá held me back.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
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.
