hysterical

adjective

hys·​ter·​i·​cal hi-ˈster-i-kəl 

1

or less commonly hysteric

hi-ˈster-ik 

: 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

3

informal : very funny

a hysterical movie/joke

hysterically

hi-ˈster-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of hysterical

• funny
• humorous
• comedic
• amusing
• comical
• ridiculous
• comic
• hilarious

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

Even an audio engineer, ear pressed against the ultimate sound, could not have detected in my inner voice the famous hysterical note of a jealous woman. — Joyce Mansour, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026

And true to the franchise, the new movie is both hysterical and heartwarming, while still dealing with some mature, timely themes that will resonate with parents especially. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 18 June 2026

Parker was caught by a state trooper who pulled her over for driving erratically, but Parker was hysterical and maintained that the baby was hers. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026

Pantochino Productions, the singularly silly, strange and hysterical small theater company that has worked out of the Milford Arts Council (MAC) for the past 16 years, occupies a unique place in the Connecticut theater landscape. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hysterical

• chimerical
• numerical
• anticlerical
• hemispherical
• clerical
• spherical

Kids 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

hysterically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

hysterical

adjective

hys·​ter·​i·​cal -ˈter-i-kəl 

variants also hysteric

-ˈter-ik 

: of, relating to, or marked by hysteria

during hysterical conditions various functions of the human body are disordered

—Morris Fishbein

hysterically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb