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 At the same time, Fjord is nonjudgmental in its depiction of a blossoming romance between two girls, and protesters who come to support the Romanian family are shown as hysterical too, spray-painting warnings about Satan outside the local school. — Madeline Leung Coleman, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026 This comic novel is set in a hysterical vision of the year 2045, in which what was once the United States has been split apart by a civil war between liberals and a MAGA-like rebel group. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 An operator answers a call from a hysterical woman begging for help. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026 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 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
  • Divorced from the context of a map, Texas' congressional districts might just look like a collection of funny shapes.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • China did not find anything funny about the French star laughing at a meme of Mao, the communist dictator whose regime resulted in tens of millions of deaths.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of funny
Adjective
  • Yoko said her daughter simply tried to prevent an agitated resident from biting others by putting her hand around the person’s chin.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • When the door finally opened, an agitated young man who resembled Ryan Gosling (Rett Keeter) shined an LED flashlight directly into my eyes, a gesture that would become familiar over the next hour.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of agitated
Adjective
  • Discovering that your identity has been stolen can leave you feeling angry, frightened and unsure where to begin.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • In one video, a young orangutan can be seen crouching in the corner of a small, dark crate, its frightened eyes wide open.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes recalled a humorous story about Bailey while speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Absurd and darkly humorous drama, offering an unconventional take on aging, loneliness and human dignity.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of humorous
Adjective
  • The only thing left in the field was a distraught college kid, pacing back and forth, muttering to himself, and suffering over what might have been.
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 28 Oct. 2026
  • James even tries to comfort a distraught Poppy after a breakup.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of distraught
Adjective
  • Synagogues canceled Sabbath prayers, while terrified Jewish citizens were warned to conceal skullcaps and flee home.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Word spread across the city that the Taliban had kill lists of Afghan women activists, and hundreds of terrified women went into hiding.
    — Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrified
Adjective
  • His breakout comedic dark fantasy comic series Barbaric has sold more than one million copies and is currently in development as a series at Netflix.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Geffen had his eyes set instead on a comedic actor from Canada.
    — Andrew Buss, Vanity Fair, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of comedic
Adjective
  • The reader is spun into this frantic poem without a chance to escape, just like the speaker.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
  • On the recording of the 911 call from that day, the operator’s steady voice is in sharp contrast to Nakira’s frantic crying.
    — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of frantic

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Cite this Entry

“Hysterical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hysterical. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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