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hysterical

adjective

hi-ˈster-i-kəl How to pronounce hysterical (audio)
variants also hysteric
Definition of hystericalnext
1
as in funny
causing or intended to cause laughter some of the things little kids come out with are hysterical

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in agitated
feeling overwhelming fear or worry the police officer assured the mother that there was no need to get hysterical, for most missing children are found safe and sound

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in frightened
filled with fear or dread upon hearing the announcement that a shark had been sighted, hysterical beachgoers raced out of the water

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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 hysterical After years of the WNBA being ignored, the hysterical reaction to an obvious, common-sense position has made it into a laughingstock. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Maher has spent decades as an increasingly acidic monitor of his homeland’s hysterical politics on his HBO show, Real Time. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 23 July 2026 Necessary reckonings have pulled the deepest wounds of American history to the surface, fracturing the public into factions of the wronged, the guilty, and those in hysterical denial. — Judy Berman, Time, 9 July 2026 Things got worse when the officer found her hysterical and covered in blood, with a cut umbilical cord coming out of her pants and an unresponsive baby in the car with her. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hysterical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hysterical
  1. funny
  2. agitated
  3. frightened
  4. humorous
  5. distraught
  6. terrified
  7. comedic
  8. frantic
Adjective
  • On paper, the script didn’t seem that funny, and the looseness of it all — the clowning, the lack of a traditional plot structure — seemed kind of slapdash.
    — Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The play touches on issues of male bonding, family, reentering the dating pool, loss, grief and despair, while being very funny almost all the time.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of funny
Adjective
  • Migratory birds in captivity develop Zugunruhe, an agitated fitfulness, at certain times of year.
    — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Following instructions from the kidnappers (unbeknownst to his increasingly agitated comrades), Lee drives out to meet them for the exchange, only to wreck his car and become distracted saving a nearby woman, Hua (Moon Lee).
    — Jake Cole, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of agitated
Adjective
  • Nations are sustained not just by declarations and famous generals, but by less celebrated moments when frightened, exhausted people decide not to give up.
    — Harry Ostrer, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Also at top of mind was the film’s sound design, which is deliberately used as another tool to make the audience feel frightened and uncomfortable.
    — William Earl, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • Exclusives include Wouters & Hendrix, a 42-year-old brand based in Antwerp that specializes in organic, surreal and often humorous designs.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Why do some humorous attempts land perfectly while others fail?
    — Norbert Schwarz, Harvard Business Review, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of humorous
Adjective
  • That gave way to sadness and the responsibility of consoling distraught students.
    — USA TODAY staff, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Residents would come to her distraught when repair estimates for their cooling systems topped their annual rent.
    — Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of distraught
Adjective
  • That hasn’t changed; people are still terrified of me in one way or another.
    — Tiana DeNicola, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Nora was feeling less terrified of her former partner and increasingly hopeful that his abuse was in the past.
    — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrified
Adjective
  • But also tell me about infusing the character with some of your sense of humor and comedic timing.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Her family and church life remained opaque, but her bizarre comedic timing and magnetic onscreen presence turned her into everyone’s favorite reality-TV anti-hero.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of comedic
Adjective
  • Around her, Youth builds an impressively frantic web of relationships and plot snarls.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Stocks tied to the AI boom slumped on Monday after the three biggest AI bosses warned the frantic pace of model development needed to be slowed.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of frantic

Browse Nearby Words

hysteria
hysterical
hysterics
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Cite this Entry

“Hysterical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hysterical. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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