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
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
Amina always looked forward to these reunions; she was allowed to be a tourist with her friends, speaking too-loud English, getting a little hysterical.
—Ayşegül Savaş, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2025
Lourd said she’s stoked for TV audiences to see just how hysterical Bomer is on Mid-Century Modern.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 28 Mar. 2025
First responders later described him as distraught, emotional, hysterical and in shock.
—Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2025
Tony McNamara Most period pieces aren’t as wickedly hysterical as this one.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hysterical
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Ayşegül Savaş, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2025
Lourd said she’s stoked for TV audiences to see just how hysterical Bomer is on Mid-Century Modern.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 28 Mar. 2025
First responders later described him as distraught, emotional, hysterical and in shock.
—Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2025
Tony McNamara Most period pieces aren’t as wickedly hysterical as this one.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hysterical
Cite this Entry
“Hysterical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hysterical. Accessed 2 Apr. 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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