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 But underneath that hoo-ha hysteria is their real question, the anxious quandary that seems to drive their anger and fear as society changes around them. —
Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024 The hysteria against Khelif spread so quickly that by the end of the day, United States GOP politicians, including former President Donald Trump and his Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance, were including it in campaign messages. —Lindsay Gibbs, TIME, 2 Aug. 2024 Blame the left’s hysteria about Trump for the shooting, and you’ll be accused of exploiting the attack and ignoring the right’s contribution to our political strife. —Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 14 July 2024 The hysteria over gifts and vacations to the justices is misplaced. —Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 11 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hysteria 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hysteria.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 19 Sep. 2024.
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Last Updated: 12 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences
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