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 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.
Synonyms
Examples of paroxysm in a Sentence
Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 5 June 2024
This confession sends O’Brien into paroxysms of rage, and ends with a surreal conclusion that is pretty, pretty good.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
In interviews with a dozen survivors across Rwanda in the two days preceding the commemoration on Sunday, many spoke about the paroxysm of violence that gripped this lush, landlocked nation.
—Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
In the end, the edifice of peace that so many had labored so hard to construct was consumed in a paroxysm of violence as the Palestinians launched another, more intense uprising and the Israelis expanded their occupation of the West Bank.
—Martin Indyk, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Paroxysm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paroxysm. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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paroxysm
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