hysterical

adjective

hys·​ter·​i·​cal hi-ˈster-i-kəl 

1

or less commonly hysteric

hi-ˈster-ik 

: 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

3

informal : very funny

a hysterical movie/joke

hysterically

hi-ˈster-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• antic
• chucklesome
• comedic
• comic
• comical
• droll
• farcical
• funny
• hilarious
• humoristic
• humorous
• killing
• laughable
• ludicrous
• ridiculous
• riotous
• risible
• screaming
• sidesplitting
• uproarious

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

Feathers’s dead-eyed, emotionless stare, combined with Gromit’s expressions, make for hysterical viewing as the penguin replaces him as Wallace’s companion. —Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025

Berlin is a city in a nearly hysterical hunt for secret Nazis believed to be lurking in the shadows. —Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025

Then, inside the meeting, parents and opposing activists gave impassioned speeches about their thoughts on the situation, with multiple speakers yelling in hysterical tones. —Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 31 Jan. 2025

The analogy is typically dismissed by MAGA voters as a hysterical exaggeration, while its usefulness in liberal or leftist critiques of Trump seems minimal. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hysterical

• chimerical
• numerical
• anticlerical
• hemispherical
• clerical
• spherical

Kids 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

hysterically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

hysterical

adjective

hys·​ter·​i·​cal -ˈter-i-kəl 

variants also hysteric

-ˈter-ik 

: of, relating to, or marked by hysteria

during hysterical conditions various functions of the human body are disordered

—Morris Fishbein

hysterically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb