1
as in bursts
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
a paroxysm of laughter greeted the pratfall
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in upheavals
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 paroxysms
The post is now nearing a hundred million views and inspiring paroxysms of millennial self-reckoning.
—
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2025
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paroxysms
Noun
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Fortunately, Marty, posing as a federal agent here to arrest Lee for harassment, bursts through the One Well doors in the nick of time.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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These collisions unleash bursts of energy, allowing physicists to explore the most fundamental building blocks of the universe.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Each storm sparked a wave of scientific inquiry, until, in the early twentieth century, scientists finally understood why electrifying societies had grown precariously vulnerable to environmental upheavals on the Sun.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
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The Industry Has Handled Huge Shifts Before When discussion turned to AI, Pearn recalled earlier upheavals.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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These outbursts send radiation and charged particles hurling into space and can disrupt communications on Earth if the flare erupts from an Earth-facing sunspot.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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Musk, whose partisan outbursts reportedly cost Tesla one million sales, remains the world’s wealthiest person, and could become the first-ever trillionaire.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Symptoms include confusion, headaches, stiff neck, loss of balance, and convulsions.—
McClatchy Media,
Sacbee.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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Neurological symptoms may occur, too, like a stiff neck, disorientation, or convulsions.—
Wendy Wisner,
Parents,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The children grow before the camera’s eye, taking their first steps and speaking their first words to the backdrop of explosions—moving from tent to tent, clinging to life, and longing for their mother’s embrace.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
10 Nov. 2025
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For soldiers caught in explosions, survival often comes at a steep physical cost.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Perhaps the most startling surge is in Pakistan, which is experiencing one of the fastest solar revolutions in the world.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Where other directors, including Richard Linklater and Steven Soderbergh, have remarked on AI’s value as a tool, Miller has likened generative filmmaking to past creative revolutions, including the invention of oil paint and photography.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Several eruptions of energy from the sun, known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, are expected to reach Earth’s magnetic field over the next two nights.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
12 Nov. 2025
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Hazards from eruptions at Kilauea include high levels of volcanic gas, ash, pumice, scoria and reticulite and Pele's hair -- strands of volcanic glass produced by lava fountaining that can be carried more than 10 miles from the vent, according to the USGS.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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Last month, at least seven earthquakes rattled the coast of Alaska in a span of 24 hours.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paroxysms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paroxysms. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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