hysteria noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of hysteria noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

hysteria

noun
 
/hɪˈstɪəriə/
 
/hɪˈsteriə/,
 
/hɪˈstɪriə/
 [uncountable]
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  1. a state of extreme excitement, fear or anger in which a person, or a group of people, loses control of their emotions and starts to cry, laugh, etc.
    • There was mass hysteria when the band came on stage.
    • A note of hysteria crept into her voice.
    Extra Examples
    • Sam arrived in a state of excitement bordering on hysteria.
    • I felt hysteria rising.
    • She smashed the place up in a fit of hysteria.
    • He sometimes flew into fits of hysteria.
    • She was babbling, on the verge of hysteria.
    • That thought was enough to bring on near hysteria.
    • There was a note of hysteria in his voice.
    • Fear infected people with mass hysteria.
    • the touch of hysteria in her voice
    Topics Feelingsc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • mass
    • public
    • mild
    • …
    … of hysteria
    • fit
    • note
    verb + hysteria
    • border on
    • cause
    • create
    • …
    hysteria + verb
    • sweep something
    • sweep across something
    • sweep through something
    • …
    preposition
    • hysteria about
    • hysteria over
    phrases
    • on the point of hysteria
    • on the verge of hysteria
    See full entry
  2. (disapproving) an extremely excited and exaggerated way of behaving or reacting to an event
    • the usual media hysteria that surrounds royal visits
    • public hysteria about AIDS
    Extra Examples
    • the hysteria whipped up by some newspapers
    • Unnecessary anxiety has been caused by media hysteria and misinformation.
    • Some parts of the media are creating hysteria and exaggerating an important issue.
    • There is still so much hysteria surrounding the issue.
    • public hysteria about the bombings
    • hysteria over AIDS
    • the hysteria that swept through the country
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • mass
    • public
    • mild
    • …
    … of hysteria
    • fit
    • note
    verb + hysteria
    • border on
    • cause
    • create
    • …
    hysteria + verb
    • sweep something
    • sweep across something
    • sweep through something
    • …
    preposition
    • hysteria about
    • hysteria over
    phrases
    • on the point of hysteria
    • on the verge of hysteria
    See full entry
  3. (medical) a condition in which somebody experiences violent or extreme emotions that they cannot control, especially as a result of shock
    4. Word Originearly 19th cent.: from Latin hystericus from Greek husterikos ‘of the womb’, from hustera ‘womb’ (hysteria was thought to be specific to women and associated with the womb).
See hysteria in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: hysteria

Nearby words

indeed
adverb
 
 
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