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

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

How to use mass hysteria in a sentence

Their bodies were later found incinerated and buried in mass graves outside of town.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Beyond the huge American flag that hung over the street, the mile-long mass of cops ended.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“The United States had gone to war declaring it must destroy an active weapons of mass destruction program,” the Times reported.
Political Memes That Absolutely Must Die in 2015|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Google itself has taken a break and put plans for mass production on hold.
You Were Wrong About Miley & Bitcoin: 2014’s Failed Predictions|Nina Strochlic|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A colleague overheard two conservative Mass. lawmakers talking about what “the gays” could do.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Charred beams and blackened walls showed stark and gaunt in the glow of a smoldering mass of wreckage.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
But hitherto, before these new ideas began to spread in our community, the mass of men and women definitely settled down.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
The Turks were no longer in mass but extended in several lines, less than a pace between each man.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Thus among the huge mass of accumulated commodities the simplest wants would go unsatisfied.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
Edward Winslow died; one of the first settlers of Plymouth colony, Mass., and afterwards its governor.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

Medical definitions for mass hysteria

mass hysteria

Spontaneous, en masse development of identical physical or emotional symptoms among a group of individuals, as in a classroom of schoolchildren.

A socially contagious frenzy of irrational behavior in a group of people as a reaction to an event.