conniption

noun

con·​nip·​tion kə-ˈnip-shən How to pronounce conniption (audio)
: a fit of rage, hysteria, or alarm
went into conniptions
He had a conniption when his favorite TV program was preempted by a political speech.

Examples of conniption in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web After the Inflation Reduction Act passed Congress without a single Republican vote, GOP lawmakers threw a conniption over the IRS appropriation. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Recent excesses in prosecutions/persecutions and intramural power grabs that then spark self-righteous conniption fits make a spectacle of shamelessness that cries out for ridicule. Armond White, National Review, 6 Oct. 2023 The fine-tuning ends only during the technical rehearsals, when any further changes would give the designers, board operators and stage managers conniption fits. Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023 Unsurprisingly, DeSantis threw a conniption. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2023 But cinephiles had a conniption. Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2023 Little has also cast his lot with other GOP governors, such as Florida’s Ron DeSantis and Texas’ Greg Abbott, who have thrown a conniption over President Biden’s recent plan to require businesses with more than 100 workers to impose vaccination mandates or subject holdouts to frequent testing. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2021 Naturally, a conniption ensued. David Remnic, The New Yorker, 17 July 2021 That's 25 basis points more than Wall Street was counting on, and investors are a delicate bunch who tend to have a conniption when caught off guard. Allison Morrow, CNN, 21 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conniption.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of conniption was in 1833

Dictionary Entries Near conniption

Cite this Entry

“Conniption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conniption. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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