hysteria
noun
hys·te·ria
hi-ˈster-ē-ə 
-ˈstir-
-ˈstir-
1
: a psychoneurosis marked by emotional excitability and disturbances of the psychogenic, sensory, vasomotor, and visceral (see visceral sense 4) functions
2
: behavior exhibiting overwhelming or unmanageable fear or emotional excess
political hysteria
The plague had caused mass hysteria in the village.
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
A week-plus into the military efforts, overnight March 8-9, premarket trading mass hysteria spurred Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, and West Texas Intermediate, a domestic American benchmark, both to nearly $120 per barrel.
—
Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
The editorial heaps on the fear and rolls back the clock to Vietnam War hysteria.
—Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Anti-communist hysteria disrupted the careers of many talented folks, while antitrust decrees ended the Golden Era studio system.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
The panic at this potential failure is central to the hysteria over AI.
—Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hysteria
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Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
The editorial heaps on the fear and rolls back the clock to Vietnam War hysteria.
—Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Anti-communist hysteria disrupted the careers of many talented folks, while antitrust decrees ended the Golden Era studio system.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
The panic at this potential failure is central to the hysteria over AI.
—Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hysteria
Cite this Entry
“Hysteria.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hysteria. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hysteria
noun
hys·te·ria
his-ˈter-ē-ə
-ˈtir-
-ˈtir-
1
: a nervous disorder marked by excitability of the emotions
2
: unmanageable fear or outburst of emotion
Medical Definition
hysteria
noun
hys·te·ria
his-ˈter-ē-ə
-ˈtir-
-ˈtir-
1
a
: a psychoneurosis marked by emotional excitability and disturbances of the psychic, sensory, vasomotor, and visceral functions without an organic basis
b
: a similar condition in domestic animals
2
: behavior exhibiting overwhelming or unmanageable fear or emotional excess
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