hysteric

[hi-ster-ik]

See more synonyms for hysteric on Thesaurus.com

noun

Usually hysterics. a fit of uncontrollable laughter or weeping; hysteria.
a person subject to hysteria.

adjective

hysterical.

Origin of hysteric

1650–60; < Latin hystericus < Greek hysterikós, suffering in the womb, hysterical (reflecting the Greeks' belief that hysteria was peculiar to women and caused by disturbances in the uterus); see hystero-, -ic

Related formsan·ti·hys·ter·ic, noun, adjective

Can be confusedhysterics histrionics

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for hysterics

laughter, levity, hilarity, rejoicing, flare-up, convulsion, madness, furor, temper, fury, violence, bitterness, resentment, excitement, mania, passion, irritation, frenzy, animosity, exasperation

Examples from the Web for hysterics

Contemporary Examples of hysterics

“I have a horror of hysterics or sentimentality,” he explained.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics
Michael Wolraich
July 24, 2014
And as soon as James yelled “cut,” they both burst into hysterics.
Exclusive: A Photo Essay on the Making of ‘The Spectacular Now’
Michael H. Weber, Scott Neustadter
August 8, 2013
Though she prefers the phrase “going away” to the word “jail,” which sent her into hysterics in a recent episode.
Teresa Giudice’s Crazy ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Journey
Stacey Grenrock Woods
July 11, 2012
The Newsroom transforms its female characters into hysterics and fools.
HBO’s ‘The Newsroom’: Aaron Sorkin’s Woman Problem
Jace Lacob, Maureen Ryan
July 2, 2012
Back in 2007, a bubbly Diaz showed Jay Leno her burping skills on late-night TV and then went into hysterics.
9 Most Annoying Celebrity Laughers
Jaimie Etkin
October 28, 2011

Historical Examples of hysterics

Think of Mrs M. falling into hysterics about a Captain Hope!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
Vice was like hysterics—the more kindness you showed the worse grew the patient!
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
The great specialist had admitted nerves; hysterics had no standing with him.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
The landlady was already in hysterics; the Vogt girls were pale but plucky.
Camps, Quarters and Casual Places
Archibald Forbes
He actually had what in these days we call a fit of hysterics.
The Boy Life of Napoleon
Eugenie Foa

British Dictionary definitions for hysterics

hysterics

noun (functioning as plural or singular)

an attack of hysteria
informal wild uncontrollable bursts of laughter

hysteric

noun

a hysterical person

adjective

hysterical

Word Origin for hysteric

C17: from Latin hystericus literally: of the womb, from Greek husterikos, from hustera the womb; from the belief that hysteria in women originated in disorders of the womb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hysterics

1727, from hysterical. Sometimes in 19c. jocularly folk-etymologized as high-strikes (1838).

hysteric

adj.

1650s, from Latin hystericus, from Greek hysterikos "belonging to the womb" (see hysterical). As a noun from 1751.

hysterics in Medicine

hysteric

[hĭ-stĕr′ĭk]

A person suffering from hysteria.
hysterics A fit of uncontrollable laughing or crying.