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Synonyms

hysterically

American  
[hi-ster-ik-lee] / hɪˈstɛr ɪk li /

adverb

  1. in an unrestrained or uncontrolled way.

    Whatever she’s thinking comes out her mouth, so the whole team was hysterically laughing at her commentary on our game films.

    Keisha slid to the damp pavement in a heap and buried her face in her hands, sobbing hysterically.

  2. in a way that is very funny.

    My friend's daughter is hysterically paranoid about autoflush toilets, so we’re always on the lookout for a traditional toilet just in case.

  3. stemming from or caused by conversion disorder.

    A group of hysterically blind Cambodian women in California are the largest group of such people known in the world.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of hysterically

hysterical ( def. ) + -ly

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.

See Examples For:

Some people screamed "hysterically" as the trains collided, one passenger told the BBC's Indonesian service.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

Her unsteady ascent toward womanhood coincides, hysterically, with the theater company’s descent into chaos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

Other influencers were less composed, with France's Maeva Ghennam who, waving her passport around, told viewers she "screamed hysterically" when she heard a strike.

From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026

I walked in and I was hysterically crying.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2025

But then he pulled his hand away and pointed, exclaiming, “Mama! Papa!” almost hysterically.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

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