mass hysteria
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of mass hysteria
First recorded in 1930–35
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.
This is very bad, although hardly a Ghostbusters-style, apocalyptic vision that includes human sacrifice and mass hysteria.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
She has them read books such as The Crucible and the Lord of the Flies to teach about the dangers of mass hysteria and group vilification.
From Slate • Dec. 5, 2025
In some cases, they have attributed reported health-effects from fume exposure to factors including hyperventilation, jet lag, psychological stress, mass hysteria and malingering.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 14, 2025
But after war breaks out, panic and civil unrest run rampant, with the local authorities unable to stem the tide of mass hysteria.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2023
For decades, the Princeton study was cited as evidence that the Halloween broadcast caused mass hysteria.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
