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. 

Due to the history of hysterical, you may want to consider some less sensitive synonyms, such as frantic, frenzied, impassioned, or vehement.

Informally, hysterical is also often used to refer to something “extremely funny.” Here are some other synonyms you can try:

• comedic
• hilarious
• silly
• whimsical

Looking for more synonyms for funny? We’ve got loads more at Thesaurus.com.