hysteria

noun

hi-ˈster-ē-ə How to pronounce hysteria (audio)
Definition of hysterianext
as in frenzy
a state of wildly excited activity or emotion the hysteria of the mother when she realized that she had lost her four-year-old son in the crowd

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hysteria At one point, the clothes pin the child to their bed, like a hysteria patient in the era of Jean-Martin Charcot. — Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026 There was some preemptive dismissive talk about hair length, teen hysteria, the lowering of standards. — George Saunders, Vanity Fair, 22 Sep. 2026 Thomasin McKenzie plays a young woman, Alyce, steeped in her own trauma and loss, who attaches herself to the ploughman, and her ability to express wide-eyed, barely contained hysteria and fear is unmatched. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Inuit people in the Arctic Circle have been known to experience a type of hysteria known as piblokto, which might be brought on by the sensory deprivation of long winters. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hysteria
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hysteria
  1. frenzy
  2. rampage
Noun
  • This restoration is assembled from Russell’s personal edit, the kind of news that will drive certain cinephiles into a frenzy.
    — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Among the biggest decliners were chip companies, reflecting mounting worries about how long the frenzy over the AI buildout will last.
    — Alex Veiga, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of frenzy
Noun
  • Their consecutive sacks came over two seasons; Jones went on his sack rampage from Week 5 through Week 16.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Police said Giamanco pursued and fatally shot the 16-year-old attacker, ending a rampage that took the lives of three children and a teacher and wounded two others.
    — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of rampage

Browse Nearby Words

hypotheticals
hysteria
hysterical
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hysteria.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hysteria. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hysteria

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hysteria

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All