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 are several hysterical moments across the four episodes made available to critics.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025
And yet, as the show depicts, Gibson did show up at Ainscough’s funeral and turned heads with her loud, hysterical sobbing.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
And that was hysterical — like, that’s pretty on-brand for us.
—Jordan Greene, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025
Social media users were left hysterical by the Frenchie's dramatic reaction and related to the loud cries.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hysterical 
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Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025
And yet, as the show depicts, Gibson did show up at Ainscough’s funeral and turned heads with her loud, hysterical sobbing.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
And that was hysterical — like, that’s pretty on-brand for us.
—Jordan Greene, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025
Social media users were left hysterical by the Frenchie's dramatic reaction and related to the loud cries.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hysterical
Dictionary Entries Near hysterical
Cite this Entry
“Hysterical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hysterical. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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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