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.
One girl who looks familiar is hanging on the arm of one of the guys while she laughs at something that must have been hysterical, while another poses next to them, taking a selfie.
From Literature
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
At last the pent-up tension exploded: Cocky burst into spasms of high hysterical laughter.
From Literature
I was angry back at her, hysterical almost, saying all manner of things I should not have said, about Papi going off and leaving us, about how parents always ruin the lives of their children.
From Literature
The presentation is just a tiny bit hysterical.
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.
