hysteric
Person losing composure
A hysteric is a person subject to hysterics—fits of uncontrollable emotion, whether laughing, crying, or panic.
The term once had clinical weight in psychology, referring to patients with conversion disorders, but now sounds dated or dismissive: Don't be such a hysteric.
As an adjective, hysteric is a less common variant of hysterical.
Exaggeratedly emotional for effect
- melodramaticExaggeratedly emotional in expression
- exaggeratedMade larger than reality
- overwroughtExcessively emotional or elaborate
- histrionicExaggeratedly emotional in behavior
overacting · hammy · showy · flamboyant · performative · campy · ostentatious · overblown
Shedding tears audibly
- sobbingConvulsive crying aloud
- tearfulProne to weeping
- uncontrollableImpossible to restrain
- distraughtDeeply agitated by grief
breakdown · inconsolable · wailing · anguished · overwhelmed · frantic · beside oneself · fits
Wildly out of control
- terror-strickenOverwhelmed by extreme dread
- screamingLoud, shrill vocalizing
- flailingUncontrolled limb movement
- meltdownCatastrophic loss of control
alarm · fright · agitated · chaotic · unhinged · wild-eyed · frantic · stampede
Psychological distress causing physical symptoms
- somatizationMental distress expressed physically
- FreudianOf unconscious-mind theory
- psychoanalysisTreatment via unconscious exploration
- neurosisFunctional mental disorder
dissociation · abreaction · psychogenic · repression · trauma · paralysis · blindness · seizures
Impossible to restrain
- gigglingLaughing in short bursts
- cacklingHarsh, staccato laughter
- howlingProlonged mournful crying sound
- convulsiveInvolving involuntary muscle contractions
fits · belly laugh · snorting · gasping · breathless · infectious · sidesplitting · roaring
theatrical
Exaggeratedly emotional for effect
- melodramaticExaggeratedly emotional in expression
- exaggeratedMade larger than reality
- overwroughtExcessively emotional or elaborate
histrionic · overacting · hammy · showy · flamboyant · performative · campy · ostentatious · overblown · grandiose
weeping
Shedding tears audibly
- sobbingConvulsive crying aloud
- tearfulProne to weeping
- uncontrollableImpossible to restrain
distraught · breakdown · inconsolable · wailing · anguished · overwhelmed · frantic · beside oneself · fits · convulsive
frenzied
Wildly out of control
- terror-strickenOverwhelmed by extreme dread
- screamingLoud, shrill vocalizing
- flailingUncontrolled limb movement
meltdown · alarm · fright · agitated · chaotic · unhinged · wild-eyed · frantic · stampede · running
conversion disorder
Psychological distress causing physical symptoms
- somatizationMental distress expressed physically
- FreudianOf unconscious-mind theory
- psychoanalysisTreatment via unconscious exploration
neurosis · dissociation · abreaction · psychogenic · repression · trauma · paralysis · blindness · seizures · suggestibility
uncontrollable
Impossible to restrain
- gigglingLaughing in short bursts
- cacklingHarsh, staccato laughter
- howlingProlonged mournful crying sound
convulsive · fits · belly laugh · snorting · gasping · breathless · infectious · sidesplitting · roaring · wheezing
- Victorian Hysteriamadwoman, neurasthenia, nervous disorder, rest cure, madness
- personality typespersonality type, extrovert, MBTI, introversion, pessimist
hystericstable
Secure and unchanging
balanced · well-adjusted · grounded · unneurotic · centered
- mass hysteriaShared irrational public fear
- female hysteriaDefunct psychiatric category for women
- wartime hysteriaMass anxiety during armed conflict
- war hysteriaFrenzied public demand for combat
- hysterical blindnessPsychological loss of sight