Hysterical

How to spell hysterical

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce hysterical

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does hysterical mean?

1. adjectiveIn a state of wild, uncontrollable emotion such as panic, fear, or distress.
2. adjectiveSo amusing that it causes uncontrollable laughter.

Hysterical in a sentence

• The passengers grew hysterical when the cabin filled with smoke.

• His impression of the manager was absolutely hysterical.

• She became hysterical after hearing the accident report.

• The comedy sketch was hysterical and the whole office repeated it for days.

Where does hysterical come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek hystera, meaning 'womb'. From it the Greeks formed hysterikos, literally 'of the womb', because ancient physicians blamed certain fits of uncontrollable emotion on a disturbance of the uterus, a notion that gave us the noun 'hysteria'. The term passed into Latin as hystericus and reached English in the seventeenth century, at first as a strictly medical label for such states. Over time the medical theory was discredited, but the word survived and broadened to describe anyone overcome by wild, uncontrollable emotion, and from there it slid playfully into the modern sense of 'extremely funny'. The spelling keeps the Greek 'y' and the single 's' of hystera, which is the part writers most often get wrong by reaching for an 'i' or a double 's'.

How the word is built

• hyster- (from Greek hystera: womb)
• -ic (adjective)
• -al (adjective)