hysterical
Americanadjective
-
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
-
Psychoanalysis, Psychiatry.
adjective
-
of or suggesting hysteria
hysterical cries
-
suffering from hysteria
-
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.
He looked over at the screaming, hysterical mass of kids clustered by the door, then back at Jonah.
From Literature
Parents who say they warned childcare bosses about a predatory nursery worker months before he was caught have told the BBC they felt ignored and were made to feel "hysterical".
From BBC
“Fine, if you’re going to be hysterical,” he said, and marched to the row of garbage cans.
From Literature
Actor and The Studio creator Seth Rogan said he was devastated by O'Hara's death, describing the actress as " hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous".
From BBC
He had seen it happen before; if his mother showed concern about a small injury, Abby practically got hysterical, but if Mom acted like it was no big deal, Abby relaxed, too.
From Literature
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.
