English Meaning & Definitions
Deriving from or affected by uncontrolled, extreme emotion, especially fear or panic.
- “The passengers became hysterical when the plane began to experience severe turbulence.”
- “She was in a hysterical state after hearing the shocking news.”
Extremely funny or causing uncontrollable laughter.
- “The comedian's latest stand-up routine was absolutely hysterical.”
- “We couldn't stop laughing; the situation was just hysterical.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “hysterical”.
Derived from the Greek 'hystera' (womb). In ancient medicine, 'hysteria' was a condition believed to be caused by the movement of the womb within the body, leading to emotional outbursts. By the 19th century, the term evolved to describe uncontrollable emotional excess, and later, in colloquial usage, something extremely funny.
Think of 'his-terical' as 'his-terrible-laugh'—when something is so funny you lose control.
Frequently Asked Questions About “hysterical”
1. What is the meaning of “hysterical” in English?
In English, hysterical (adjective) is defined as: “Deriving from or affected by uncontrolled, extreme emotion, especially fear or panic.”.
2. How do you use “hysterical” in a sentence?
“The passengers became hysterical when the plane began to experience severe turbulence.”
3. What are English synonyms of “hysterical”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “hysterical”?
Derived from the Greek 'hystera' (womb). In ancient medicine, 'hysteria' was a condition believed to be caused by the movement of the womb within the body, leading to emotional outbursts. By the 19th century, the term evolved to describe uncontrollable emotional excess, and later, in colloquial usage, something extremely funny.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.