First Known Use: 1801
Dictionary
hysteria
noun hys·te·ria \his-ˈter-ē-ə, -ˈtir-\
: a state in which your emotions (such as fear) are so strong that you behave in an uncontrolled way
: a situation in which many people behave or react in an extreme or uncontrolled way because of fear, anger, etc.
Full Definition of HYSTERIA
1
: a psychoneurosis marked by emotional excitability and disturbances of the psychic, sensory, vasomotor, and visceral functions
2
: behavior exhibiting overwhelming or unmanageable fear or emotional excess <political hysteria>
— hys·ter·ic \-ˈter-ik\ noun
— hys·ter·i·cal \-ˈter-i-kəl\ also hysteric adjective
— hys·ter·i·cal·ly \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
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Origin of HYSTERIA
New Latin, from English hysteric, adjective, from Latin hystericus, from Greek hysterikos, from hystera womb; from the Greek notion that hysteria was peculiar to women and caused by disturbances of the uterus
Related to HYSTERIA
- Synonyms
- agitation, deliriousness, delirium, distraction, fever, feverishness, flap, furor, furore, fury, frenzy, rage, rampage, uproar
Other Psychology Terms
HYSTERIA Defined for Kids
hysteria
noun hys·te·ria \hi-ˈster-ē-ə\
Definition of HYSTERIA for Kids
: a state in which emotions (as fear or joy) are so strong that a person acts in an uncontrolled way
Medical Dictionary
hysteria
noun hys·te·ria \his-ˈter-ē-ə, -ˈtir-\
Medical Definition of HYSTERIA
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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