mass hysteria

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noun Psychology.

a condition affecting a group of persons, characterized by excitement or anxiety, irrational behavior or beliefs, or inexplicable symptoms of illness.

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Also called epidemic hysteria .

Origin of mass hysteria

First recorded in 1930–35

Words nearby mass hysteria

masseter, masseur, masseuse, mass extinction, Massey, mass hysteria, massicot, massif, Massif Central, massification, Massillon

How to use mass hysteria in a sentence

The concept of mass hysteria is rather chilling to consider.
Doctors Have No Answers for Colombian Teens' Mass Hysteria|Kent Sepkowitz|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Investigators have also found that in cases of mass hysteria, one child is often an “index case” that triggers waves of anxiety.
Hysteria Strikes Mumbai School Kids|Dilip D’Souza|March 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Even the search parties often get themselves balled up and mill around in circles, perfect examples of mass hysteria.
The Short Life|Francis Donovan
He stated that if this was so, subsequent sightings might be the result of a mass hysteria.
Federal Bureau of Investigation FOIA Documents - Unidentified Flying Objects|United States Federal Bureau of Investigation

They are not to be stampeded by fiery rhetoric or mass hysteria.
The Old World in the New|Edward Alsworth Ross
I do believe in mass pathology: mass hysteria, mass personality disorders, mass psychoses.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin
The mass hysteria of the women was caused by the excitement.
The Double Spy|Dan T. Moore