1
as in explosion
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
a paroxysm of laughter greeted the pratfall
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in upheaval
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order)
Darwin's introduction of the theory of evolution created paroxysms in both religion and science that are still being felt today
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paroxysm
Henry, afflicted by a psychic link to the monsters behind the veil of the Stranger Things universe, has to go into writhing, spitting paroxysms at least once every 20 minutes or so.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
The system came crashing down in a paroxysm of raw power politics, and the world was set ablaze.
—Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Sudden fits or attacks, known as paroxysms, of rapid coughs.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025
For Fu, a 24-year-old graduate student in Beijing, this month’s paroxysms don’t change much on the ground.
—Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC News, 12 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for paroxysm
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
The system came crashing down in a paroxysm of raw power politics, and the world was set ablaze.
—Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Sudden fits or attacks, known as paroxysms, of rapid coughs.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025
For Fu, a 24-year-old graduate student in Beijing, this month’s paroxysms don’t change much on the ground.
—Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC News, 12 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for paroxysm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paroxysm
Noun
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Florida, meanwhile, had an offensive explosion with 457 yards on a night when quarterback DJ Lagway and receiver Dallas Wilson — making his college debut after a foot injury sidelined the freshman prior to Saturday — showed off the upside the Gators have been waiting for.—
Grace Raynor,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Attack largest of war on Lviv, Governor says A Reuters correspondent heard explosions booming across the dark morning sky as air defenses engaged targets from several directions.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Dimon has led the bank since 2005, guiding it through periods of upheaval to notch record profits in 7 of the last 10 years.—
Hugh Son,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
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The industry hasn’t seen this much upheaval since 1997, the last comparable seminal moment in fashion.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The drama centers on 17-year-old Lee Jooin (Seo Su-bin), an unpredictable high school student whose angry outburst creates ripple effects throughout her world.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
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Late in the Lynx's 86-81 Game 4 loss to Phoenix, Collier suffered an ankle injury on a controversial no-call that resulted in a fiery sideline outburst from Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Local grievances—such as power outages in Madagascar or rising food prices in Kenya—can quickly escalate into nationwide unrest, amplified by viral hashtags, memes and shared digital culture.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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In other footage of the unrest, two men were seen engaging in a fistfight outside the ICE facility before they were detained.—
Greg Norman , Bill Melugin,
FOXNews.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Its approach to comedy is ripped straight from the world of musical cast parties and improv shows, with every performer doing their best to turn every line into a GIF-able burst of wholesome self-deprecation.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
3 Oct. 2025
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This simple yet powerful step turned noisy, unreliable photon signals into clean bursts of single photons — a breakthrough for future quantum technologies.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The electric vehicle revolution is often framed as a climate imperative—a way to cut carbon emissions and slow global warming.—
Rebecca A. Fannin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Other nations, forced to stand on their own, may finally unleash their own revolutions.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That was the sound of Blackwell’s game-deciding block, followed by the deafening final eruption from the stands of Allegiant Stadium.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Jenkins was ready, calmly raising his camera to capture the eruption.—
John Armwood III,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Symptoms of the more serious illness include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis, according to the CDC.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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Common listeriosis symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, according to the Cleveland Clinic and the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paroxysm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paroxysm. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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