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
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
Wilson’s idealistic vision of a new U.S. role in the world collapsed in a paroxysm of partisanship.
—Charles A. Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
The 55-year-old electrical engineer at the center of this postal paroxysm was an improbable target.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2014
See All Example Sentences for paroxysm
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
Wilson’s idealistic vision of a new U.S. role in the world collapsed in a paroxysm of partisanship.
—Charles A. Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
The 55-year-old electrical engineer at the center of this postal paroxysm was an improbable target.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2014
See All Example Sentences for paroxysm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paroxysm
Noun
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After an accidental explosion in a West Village bomb factory killed three Weathermen, those who survived, shaken by their friends’ deaths, swore off deadly violence.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Journalists heard several explosions from the direction of the Hezbollah stronghold, which Israel has repeatedly struck since war began.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In the wake of Republican defeats in a string of special elections − including a Democratic victory in the Florida state house race to represent the president's home district − the record-setting protests were one more omen of upheaval ahead in November's midterm elections.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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That gave Schiaparelli’s clothing a sense of relevance in pre-World War II Europe’s cultural upheaval and aesthetically traditionalist Paris — a methodology that Roseberry has picked up.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In the most complimentary of ways, the Hornets’ first-half outburst wasn’t all that special at all.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Cronin has received his share – more than his share, actually – of negative fan reaction for his frequent outbursts at players.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Five years after he was killed, in response to political unrest, the government increased the derivation fund to 13 percent for oil-producing states.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
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O'Hara compared that chaos to the unrest after the 2020 killing of Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, which led to major protests and riots.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For a burst of contrasting sweetness, toss in some pomegranate seeds along with a drizzle of hot honey and a tuft of fresh mint too.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Booker led the Longhorns out of the break with the third-quarter burst that quickly settled the outcome.—
Jim Vertuno,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
His own parents left the nation that’s located 90 miles off the coast of Florida three years before the 1959 revolution that brought Castro to power.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
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But Cursor has a problem, and that problem is called Claude Code, a competitor launched by Anthropic barely a year ago that helped unleash a revolution in coding via agentic AI.—
Matthew Heimer,
Fortune,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Dosa earned an Academy Award nomination for 2022’s Fire of Love, the story of vulcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft who furthered the world’s understanding of intense geological forces, but whose lives were claimed in a volcanic eruption.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2026
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Here’s what witnesses said about the eruption.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The country, meanwhile, was experiencing a series of convulsions.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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Like any society, forests are subject to periods of heated convulsion that strip away the detritus of the past while laying the groundwork for the future.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paroxysm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paroxysm. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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