hysteria
5
8.0
- noun
- /hɪˈstɪəriə/
- Archaic
:
histeria
- The teacher was concerned about the hysteria among students, as they screamed and panicked during the fire drill.
- etiology of hysteria
- conversion form of hysteria
- case of hysteria
I did then diagnose myself with conversion disorder or hysteria.
- I did then diagnose myself with conversion disorder or hysteria.
- Did you know, even the word hysteria, which means madness comes from Greek and literally means uterus.
- So the, the problem here is that they, you know, it is what we used to call a hysteria.
Examples
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During such an attack in the French trenches in October of 1917, we have an account of this soldier, who, during an assault, was wounded by shrapnel... and hospitalized, apparently in a state of hysteria.
-
Why think about Jeanine—her spending habits, her high-strung hysteria, and her fits of temper when she didn't get what she wanted?
Fiction book (1998) -
It's just a common case of hysteria.
-
- Gentlemen, we have no idea what terrible event may have triggered this poor girl's hysteria.
-
Textbook case of female hysteria.
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Psychiatrists use the term hysteria to identify behavioral displays in which physical or mental disorders are imitated.
Academic text (1992) -
Dr. Hart's work with the use of electroshock therapy to cure female hysteria is groundbreaking.
-
Krenn's character, Mrs. Daldry, suffers from hysteria and is a patient of Dr. Givings.
Blog text (29) -
After the unexpected announcement, the audience erupted into a state of hysteria, reacting with both laughter and tears.
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During the concert, a wave of hysteria swept through the crowd as fans rushed to get closer to the stage.
Synonyms
14
5.9
A sudden time when someone cannot stop crying or laughing
1
9.9
A condition where a person has sudden strong emotions and temporary loss of movement or feeling
A condition where strong emotions cause physical symptoms without a medical cause
Antonyms
Compounds
- Archaic
A condition where strong emotions cause physical symptoms without a medical cause
- Specialized
A large group of people suddenly become very afraid and act without thinking, spreading quickly
- Archaic
A mental health condition causing physical symptoms without a clear medical cause and linked to strong anxiety
Surface Forms
Morphology
hysteria = hyster + ia
The medical/psychiatric sense is historically tied to the Greek 'hyster-' (womb) but the disorder meaning and its symptoms are not derivable from that base by typical learners, so the relation is opaque.
Etymology
Hysteria was once a medical name for a nervous disorder and the word comes from the Greek hystera meaning 'womb'. Doctors used it for violent emotional outbreaks and strange physical problems, often in women, but modern psychiatry now uses more precise names.