Meaning & use
hysterically
Last updated
In an uncontrollably emotional manner, whether from extreme fear, laughter, or distress.
See it in a sentence
The audience laughed hysterically at the comedian's final joke.
She cried hysterically after hearing the unexpected news.
A note on using this word
Often used informally to mean 'extremely' or 'very,' as in 'hysterically funny,' beyond its literal sense of losing emotional control.
Words with a similar meaning
uncontrollablyfrantically
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. adverb
Extremely, to a very great degree (informal intensifier).
The show's pilot episode was hysterically funny.
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