as in frenzy
a state of wildly excited activity or emotion
the hysteria of the mother when she realized that she had lost her four-year-old son in the crowd
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also hysteric
1
as in funny
causing or intended to cause laughter
some of the things little kids come out with are hysterical
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 hysteria
Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 19 Apr. 2026
That’s where the hysteria comes in.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026
Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
His almost-hysterical hilarity was contagious.
—Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hysteria
Noun
They are bound to have raw emotion — anger, pain, grief, hysteria — heaped upon them in moments when seconds can be the difference between life and death.
—Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 19 Apr. 2026
That’s where the hysteria comes in.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Even under the most hysterical scenarios, the internet provides nowhere near those levels of carnage.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
His almost-hysterical hilarity was contagious.
—Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hysteria
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hysteria
Noun
-
While valuations for household-name series IP have come down to earth a bit since the frenzy around Friends, South Park and The Office during the streaming explosion several years ago, The Walking Dead rights will surely fetch several hundred million dollars.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
8 May 2026
-
But there's a nostalgic and unexpected appeal to the bustling frenzy of a flea market.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
This leads us on an intimate, and at times funny, journey of self-discovery and missteps told in five chapters over the course of a critical year in Robin’s life.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2026
-
And there are some funny moments along the way, such as a scene in which Miranda tries to hang up her coat, having been told to stop throwing it at her assistants.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The antipsychotic drug chlorpromazine, derived from a clothing dye called methylene blue, was first tested on agitated and delusional patients in 1952.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Trump has long agitated for changes at CNN, and few expect his Justice Department to block the transaction.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The woman who found Nado said the feline appeared frightened but was in overall good health, according to the news outlet.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
-
Those children hadn’t seemed frightened to me, not visibly anyway.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Hours after the terrifying rampage, a similar fatal incident took place at Koodalminikyam Temple in Irinjalakuda when an elephant that had shown signs of restlessness during a ritual procession the night before broke out of its enclosure and attacked its handlers, per News Karnataka.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
-
The above breaks trends that began with Norris’ upset 2024 Miami Grand Prix win that broke the Invincible Verstappen rampage.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The telling is harrowing, but also humorous at times, and achieves an emotional register that had me, essentially, transfixed.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Suspicious government officials are sent to investigate, resulting in a sequence of humorous, often laugh-out-loud encounters.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
His widow, Erika Kirk, was at this weekend’s dinner, visibly distraught as she was escorted out in her sequined cream dress.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
26 Apr. 2026
-
While rescuers searched in vain, distraught relatives of passengers rushed to the ValuJet counter at Miami International.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The key cabin crew are flight attendants Penny (Lucy Barrett) and Zoe (Na Shi), both of whom demonstrate bravery, to different ends, and show caring attention to the terrified children.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Though Ridley Scott works in a drastically different tone than the one John Carpenter brought to Dark Star, the two films share screenwriter Dan O’Bannon’s darkly comedic view of a future that has reduced humans to alternately bored and terrified cogs in larger machines.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hysteria.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hysteria. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
