What does hysterical mean?
Hysterical describes behavior or speech marked by extreme, often uncontrollable emotion. The word is especially common for intense laughter or crying, as in 'burst into hysterical laughter,' and can also refer to panic, anger, or excitement that overwhelms a person's usual self-control. In formal and medical writing, 'hysterical' has a historical association with hysteria, a term formerly used for a range of emotional and physical symptoms without a single clear physical cause. That older medical sense is now dated and should generally be used only when discussing historical sources or terminology. In contemporary everyday English, the adjective is vivid and emotionally charged: it can indicate that a reaction is genuine and intense, but it may also suggest exaggerated behavior.
adjectiveShowing an extreme, often uncontrollable degree of excitement, fear, anger, or laughter. In medical contexts, it can also refer historically to hysteria, a condition characterized by intense emotional or physical symptoms.
- Involving or displaying extreme, uncontrolled emotion, such as laughter, crying, fear, or anger.
- In medical or historical contexts, relating to or characterized by hysteria.
"The audience burst into hysterical laughter when the magician removed his own head."
"She became hysterical when she realized she had lost her ticket."
"The medical writer described the patient's hysterical symptoms and nervous exhaustion."
The word 'hysterical' literally reaches back to the Greek word for the womb, because for centuries inexplicable emotional and physical disturbances in women were thought to originate there.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hysterical come from?
The word comes through Latin from Greek hystēria, meaning 'womb' or 'uterus.' Ancient and early modern medical writers believed that hysteria arose from disturbances in the womb, and the adjective developed from the related Greek and Latin term hysterikos, meaning 'of the womb' or 'affected by hysteria.' Over time, the word broadened from a medical description to a general label for extreme emotional behavior.
Related word forms
How hysterical is actually used
In everyday use, 'hysterical' often describes laughter or crying that is so intense that it seems exaggerated or uncontrollable. In modern medical contexts, the term is generally avoided when referring to a diagnosed condition; 'historia' and 'functional neurological symptom disorder' are more specific terms.
Easily confused with hysterical
Hysterical is usually an adjective describing extreme behavior or emotion, while hysteria is a noun for a condition involving intense emotional or physical symptoms.
Hysterical describes the quality of being extremely emotional, whereas hysterics refers to an episode of uncontrolled crying, laughter, or panic.