What does hysterics mean?
Hysterics is a plural noun for an intense, sudden, and often uncontrollable expression of emotion. It commonly describes someone laughing or crying loudly, becoming overwhelmed by fear or excitement, or reacting with agitation to an event. The word often conveys a sense of extreme, dramatic, or disorderly feeling, and it can be used both approvingly and critically. “The crowd went into hysterics of delight” suggests joyful excitement, while “a fit of hysterics” may imply panic, anger, or emotional overwhelm. Although the expression sounds informal and sometimes old-fashioned in everyday use, it also has a historical medical association with hysteria, a term once applied to episodes of intense emotion and physical symptoms believed to be linked to the female reproductive system. Today, it is most often encountered in descriptions of loud, sudden emotional outbursts.
plural nounA sudden, intense, and often uncontrollable outburst of emotion, especially loud laughter, crying, fear, or excitement. In older medical usage, the term also referred to a condition marked by episodes of extreme emotional or physical disturbance.
- An uncontrollable outburst of intense emotion, such as laughter, crying, fear, anger, or excitement.
- A state of extreme agitation, excitement, or emotional disorder.
- An older medical usage referring to episodes of intense emotional or physical disturbance traditionally associated with hysteria.
"The audience dissolved into hysterics when the winner's name was announced."
"She was in hysterics after receiving the unexpected good news."
"The announcement sparked hysterics throughout the office."
Already plural; it takes the verb “are” or “were,” not “is” or “was,” when referring to an episode or state.
"The children were in hysterics over the surprise party."
Hysterics reaches back to ancient Greek beliefs that the womb was the seat of dramatic emotional illness, a history that still echoes in the word's association with overwhelming feeling.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hysterics come from?
The word comes through Latin from Greek hysterikos, meaning “of the womb” or “hysterical,” from hystēra, “womb.” Greek physicians developed the idea that emotional and physical disorders in women arose from disturbances in the womb, and the English term later became associated with extreme emotional disturbance. The modern sense of an uncontrollable emotional outburst developed from this older medical vocabulary.
How hysterics is actually used
The expression is often informal or dramatic and implies an exaggerated or intense reaction. In medical and historical writing, it may refer to a recognized syndrome characterized by episodes of strong emotion or bodily disturbance.
Easily confused with hysterics
Hysteria names the condition or collective phenomenon, whereas hysterics usually describes a particular episode or burst of emotional behavior.