Definition of paroxysm
- a paroxysm of coughing
- convulsed … in the paroxysms of an epileptic seizure
- —Thomas Hardy
- a paroxysm of rage
- a paroxysm of laughter
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He went into paroxysms of laughter.
a paroxysm of laughter greeted the pratfall
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'paroxysm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Paroxysm didn't just burst onto the scene recently; its roots go back to ancient Greek. The word ultimately derives from the Greek paroxynein, which means "to stimulate." Oxynein, a parent of paroxynein, means "to provoke" or "to sharpen" and comes from oxys, a Greek word for "sharp." (That root also underlies the word oxygen.) In its earliest known English uses in the 15th century, paroxysm denoted agitation or intensification of a disease or its symptoms. (A still-used example of that sense is "a paroxysm of coughing.") Additionally, paroxysm soon took on a broader sense referring to an outburst, especially a dramatic physical or emotional one.
bluster, bobbery, bustle, coil, commotion, furor, furore, fuss, hubbub, hullabaloo, hurly-burly, pandemonium, rout, row, ruckus, ruction, rumpus, shindy, squall, stew, stir, to-do, turmoil, welter, williwaw;
medical : a sudden attack or increase of symptoms of a disease (such as pain, coughing, shaking, etc.) that often occurs again and again
: a sudden strong feeling or expression of emotion that cannot be controlled
What made you want to look up paroxysm? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
subject to rapid or unexpected change
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