Definition of HYSTERIA (original) (raw)
2
: behavior exhibiting overwhelming or unmanageable fear or emotional excess
The plague had caused mass hysteria in the village.
Synonyms
Examples of hysteria in a Sentence
A few of the children began to scream, and soon they were all caught up in the hysteria. Wartime hysteria led to many unfair accusations of treachery. The spreading of the disease caused mass hysteria in the village.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ellen is a more passive counterpart to Thomasin, the teenage heroine played by fellow big-eyed blonde Anya Taylor-Joy in The Witch, in that she’s also been pathologized by the strictures of her era, her psychic sensitivities interpreted by those around her as signs of hysteria or mental illness. —
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Dec. 2024 Depp, on the other hand, is playing less a character than an acrobatic embodiment of female hysteria. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2024 Officials push back on online rumors, say mystery drones are not tracking radioactive material Is the hysteria over drones warranted? —Tom Hanson, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2024 To be clear, there’s no need for Listeria hysteria. —Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hysteria 
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from English hysteric, adjective, from Latin hystericus, from Greek hysterikos, from hystera womb; from the Greek notion that hysteria was peculiar to women and caused by disturbances of the uterus
First Known Use
1772, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of hysteria was in 1772
Dictionary Entries Near hysteria
Cite this Entry
“Hysteria.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hysteria. Accessed 1 Jan. 2025.
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Last Updated: 31 Dec 2024 - Updated example sentences
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