• Hysterical

    Pronunciation

    • IPA: /hɪ ˈstÉ›rɪkÉ™l/

    Origin

    From hysteric + -al, from Latin hystericus, from Ancient Greek ὑστερικός (husterikos, "suffering in the womb, hysterical"), from ὑστερά (hustera, "womb").

    Full definition of hysterical

    Adjective

    hysterical

    1. Of, or arising from hysteria.
    2. Having, or prone to having hysterics.
    3. Provoking uncontrollable laughter.
      • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 2, She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, …; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid, â€¦—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.

    Usage notes

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