hysterical
adjective
hys·ter·i·cal
hi-ˈster-i-kəl 
1
or less commonly hysteric
: of, relating to, or marked by hysteria
hysterical conditions
2
: feeling or showing extreme and unrestrained emotion
hysterical fans
… the paper did not hesitate to appeal to racial passions in hysterical headlines and rabid editorials.—
The New Yorker
The New Yorker3
informal
: very funny
a hysterical movie/joke
Synonyms
Examples of hysterical in a Sentence
some of the things little kids come out with are hysterical
the police officer assured the mother that there was no need to get hysterical, for most missing children are found safe and sound
upon hearing the announcement that a shark had been sighted, hysterical beachgoers raced out of the water
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s no reason to jump to hysterical or conspiratorial or xenophobic conclusions in light of the conviction.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 2 June 2024
In particular, Galvin and Tatro are hysterical here in a movie that will work better for anyone who used to be a theater kid.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 6 June 2024
In traditional corporate environments, acknowledging emotions like fear and anxiety comes across as hysterical or unhinged—especially for women.
—Byalice Zhang, Fortune, 5 June 2024
The Stones drew 'a screaming mass of 7,500 hysterical teen-agers'
The Stones arrived for their performance in an armored car a local bank supplied for the occasion.
Need a break?
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 3 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hysterical 
The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 2 June 2024
In particular, Galvin and Tatro are hysterical here in a movie that will work better for anyone who used to be a theater kid.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 6 June 2024
In traditional corporate environments, acknowledging emotions like fear and anxiety comes across as hysterical or unhinged—especially for women.
—Byalice Zhang, Fortune, 5 June 2024
The Stones drew 'a screaming mass of 7,500 hysterical teen-agers'
The Stones arrived for their performance in an armored car a local bank supplied for the occasion.
Need a break?
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 3 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hysterical
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hysterical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hysterical
Cite this Entry
“Hysterical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hysterical. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hysterical
adjective
hys·ter·i·cal
his-ˈter-i-kəl
1
: of, relating to, or marked by hysteria
2
: feeling or showing unrestrained emotion
hysterical fans
3
informal
: very funny
Medical Definition
hysterical
adjective
hys·ter·i·cal
-ˈter-i-kəl
variants
also hysteric
: of, relating to, or marked by hysteria
during hysterical conditions various functions of the human body are disordered—Morris Fishbein
Morris FishbeinLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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