paroxysm
noun
Thomas Hardy
Did you know?
Paroxysm didn't just burst onto the scene recently; its roots go back to ancient Greek. The word ultimately erupted from the Greek verb paroxynein, which means "to stimulate." (Oxynein, a parent of paroxynein, means "to provoke" and comes from oxys, a Greek word for "sharp.") In its earliest known English uses in the 15th century, paroxysm referred to a sudden attack or increase of symptoms of a disease—such as pain, coughing, shaking, etc.—that often occur again and again. This sense is still in use, but paroxysm soon took on a broader and now much more common sense referring to an outburst, especially a dramatic physical or emotional one, as in "paroxysms of rage/laughter/joy/delight/guilt."
Examples of paroxysm in a Sentence
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2025
With these plans on the table, Mamdani’s victory provoked the city’s billionaire class and its water carriers to rhetorical paroxysms, including forecasts of economic armageddon for the city.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
Even the Wimbledon crowd went into paroxysms for Andy Murray — after the points were over.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Before becoming vice president, Senator JD Vance’s introduction of a bill to raise the tax on large endowments from 1.4% to 35% for universities with endowments larger than $10 billion sent the right-side of social media world into paroxysms of ecstasy.
—Adrian Wooldridge, Twin Cities, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for paroxysm
Cite this Entry
“Paroxysm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paroxysm. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
paroxysm
noun
Medical Definition
paroxysm
nounTherapeutic Notes
Share