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

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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 The kids were celebrating, but one little girl came out a little hysterical. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 22 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 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 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
  • The end result is Murder Bites, my funny, quirky mystery that takes place in a small town where everyone is obsessed with their tiny designer dogs.
    — Mimi Montgomery, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • What is sort of funny is imagining how immersion in the city’s cultural scene fits into Vanderbilt’s broader ambitions.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of funny
Adjective
  • Officers described the videos recorded by that camera, writing that Westman seemed agitated after a visit with family and at times sobbed before driving by the church and school the night before the attack.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • This has driven some agitated investors to see parallels between the current market and the conditions leading up to the dot-com crash of 2000-2002, when the overall S&P 500 lost nearly half its value.
    — Joe D'Allegro, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of agitated
Adjective
  • In the second test, 12 dogs were shown happy faces, as well as sad, frightened, and angry ones.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Hilton’s sister, Barbara Giarraffa, frightened fans and TikTok moderators were among those who called authorities.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • Their escapade leads not only to the creation of their island paradise, Moonrise Kingdom, but a humorous wild goose chase between Suzy’s parents, Sam’s Scout troop, and the island police chief.
    — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 29 Aug. 2026
  • When asked whether his dog has a favorite Bush song, Rossdale laughs before providing a humorous answer.
    — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of humorous
Adjective
  • But today’s Court often divides along stark ideological lines, and the liberals often sound truly distraught in their dissents.
    — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • One distraught woman sat on the ground next to a large pool of blood as another woman embraced her.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of distraught
Adjective
  • Instead, coaches have become more and more terrified through the years of seeing their players getting hurt during largely meaningless games in August.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Tempe police ultimately convinced the couple, who were initially too terrified to report the incident, to share what had happened to them, documents said.
    — Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of terrified
Adjective
  • Mystery Men Throw it back to the Y2K era with this 1999 comedy starring a plethora of the era’s brightest comedic talents, including Ben Stiller, Kel Mitchell, Janeane Garofolo, and Paul Reubens.
    — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The one comedic element Blair didn’t want to stick his neck out for?
    — William Earl, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of comedic
Adjective
  • In the past two days, many stories have emerged from frantic family members.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • His frantic paranoia makes the scene genuinely hard to read and sets the stage for his horrifying actions during the climax.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of frantic

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hysterical
hysterics
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Cite this Entry

“Hysterical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hysterical. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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