hysterics

C2+ Topic:Emotions & Feelings

US /hɪˈstɛrɪks/ UK /hɪˈstɛrɪks/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a fit of uncontrollable emotion, laughter, or weeping

The comedian had the whole room in hysterics.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a fit of uncontrollable... hysteria frenzy fit paroxysm convulsions

Opposites

calm composure

Word family

Related forms hysteria hysteric hysterical

Etymology

From hysteric + -s, ultimately from Ancient Greek hysterikos ('of the womb'), from hystera ('womb').

hysterikos Ancient Greek hystera Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Emotions & Feelings Word Formation & Derivatives

# hysterics

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** hɪˈstɛrɪks
**IPA (UK):** hɪˈstɛrɪks

## Meanings
1. a fit of uncontrollable emotion, laughter, or weeping

## Examples
- The comedian had the whole room in hysterics.

## Synonyms
- hysteria
- frenzy
- fit
- paroxysm
- convulsions

## Antonyms
- calm
- composure

## Related Forms
- hysteria
- hysteric
- hysterical

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: hysterikos
- Root: hystera

## Etymology
From hysteric + -s, ultimately from Ancient Greek hysterikos ('of the womb'), from hystera ('womb').

## AI Etymology
hysterics comes from hysteric + -s, ultimately from Ancient Greek hysterikos ('of the womb'), from hystera ('womb'). Morphologically, the ending is part of the etymology: the suffix is attached to the older base named in the history, producing a later English derivative. In present English, the noun sense is "a fit of uncontrollable emotion, laughter, or weeping", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as hysteria, hysteric, and hysterical. Its semantic neighborhood includes hysteria, frenzy, fit, and paroxysm, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Ancient Greek hysterikos and Ancient Greek hystera.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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