Standard Lemma guide

paroxysm

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpæɹəksɪz(ə)m/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈpɛɹəkˌsɪzəm/
  • General-American: /pəˈɹɑk-/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; a sudden attack of a disease symptom, such as a bout of coughing or a seizure.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: exacervation, fit

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Chiefly followed by of: a sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling; also, the most severe part of an activity or incident; the climax.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: high point, acme, apex, zenith, apogee, apotheosis, ascendance, capstone, climax, coronation, crown, culmination, extreme, fastigium, high note, high tide, high-water mark, midday, Mount Everest, outblossom, paroxysm, perihelion, pinnacle, summa, summit

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An outburst of a violent argument or disagreement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, broadly, countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A violent occurrence of a natural phenomenon, such as an earthquake, thunderstorm, or volcanic eruption; specifically (volcanology), the most explosive event during a series of volcanic eruptions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, countable

Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Disastrous or sudden change.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, rare, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

a sudden uncontrollable attack

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a paroxysm of giggling
  • a fit of coughing
  • convulsions of laughter

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fit, convulsion

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: attack

History

Etymology

From Late Middle English paroxism, paroxisme (“period of worsening of a disease, attack; sudden recurrent fever”), from Middle French paroxisme, paroxysme, and Old French peroxime (“period of worsening of a disease; bout of fever or illness”) (modern French paroxysme), and from their etymon Late Latin paroxismus, paroxysmus (“a fit; onset of a disease; violent impulse or sadness”), from Ancient Greek πᾰροξῠσμός (păroxŭsmós, “exasperation, irritation; severe fit of a disease”), from πᾰροξῡ́νω (păroxū́nō, “to irritate, provoke”) (from παρα- (para-, prefix meaning ‘parallel to but separate from or going beyond, beside’) + ὀξῡ́νω (oxū́nō, “to provoke; to sharpen”) (from ὀξῠ́ς (oxŭ́s, “sharp”), probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h2eḱ- (“sharp”))) + -μός (-mós, suffix forming abstract nouns). By surface analysis, para- + oxy- + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

82 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نَوْبَة (nawba) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Armenian: պարոքսիզմ (parokʻsizm) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Armenian: նոպա (nopa) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Middle Armenian: նոպայ (nopay) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Bulgarian: пристъп (pristǎp) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Bulgarian: пароксизъм (paroksizǎm) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Catalan: paroxisme — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Czech: nával — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Danish: paroxysme — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Esperanto: paroksismo — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Finnish: kohtaus — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • French: paroxysme — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Georgian: პაროქსიზმი (ṗaroksizmi) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • German: Paroxysmus — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Greek: παροξυσμός (paroxysmós) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Ancient Greek: παροξυσμός (paroxusmós) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Hungarian: roham — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Ido: paroxismo — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Indonesian: paroksismal — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Italian: parossismo — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Italian: acme — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Italian: raptus — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Kazakh: пароксизм (paroksizm) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Korean: 발작 (baljak) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Latin: paroxysmus — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Polish: paroksyzm — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Portuguese: paroxismo — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Romanian: paroxism — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Russian: парокси́зм (paroksízm) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Russian: припа́док (pripádok) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Scots: thraw — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Serbo-Croatian: пароксѝзам — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Serbo-Croatian: paroksìzam — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Sicilian: parussìsimu — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Spanish: paroxismo — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Swedish: paroxysm — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Tagalog: paroksismo — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Tagalog: bidbíd — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Tagalog: bugso — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Udi: замару (zamaru) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Udi: заморой (zamoroj) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Ukrainian: пароксизм (paroksyzm) — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Welsh: ffit — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Welsh: pwl — period (especially one of several recurring periods) during the course of an illness when symptoms worsen; sudden attack of a disease symptom
  • Bulgarian: пръстъп (prǎstǎp) — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Catalan: paroxisme — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Czech: nával — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Czech: záchvat — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Esperanto: paroksismo — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Finnish: kohtaus — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Finnish: purkaus — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • French: paroxysme — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Georgian: შეტევა (šeṭeva) — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • German: Paroxysmus — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Greek: παροξυσμός (paroxysmós) — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Ancient Greek: παροξυσμός (paroxusmós) — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Hebrew: פרוקסיזום — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Hungarian: kitörés — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Irish: néal — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Irish: taom — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Old Irish: recht — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Italian: parossismo — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Macedonian: пароксизам (paroksizam) — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Polish: paroksyzm — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Polish: przystęp — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Portuguese: paroxismo — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Russian: парокси́зм (paroksízm) — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Russian: при́ступ (prístup) — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Sanskrit: वेग (vega) — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Scots: thraw — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Serbo-Croatian: пaроксѝзaм — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Serbo-Croatian: paroksìzam — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Sicilian: parussìsimu — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Slovene: paroksizem — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Spanish: paroxismo — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Tagalog: bugso — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Tagalog: bulalas — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Tagalog: bulalás — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Welsh: ffit — sudden outburst of violent activity or feeling
  • Finnish: purkaushuippu — violent occurrence of a natural phenomenon; most explosive event during a series of volcanic eruptions
  • Finnish: riidan puhkeaminen — outburst of a violent argument or disagreement
  • Finnish: äkkimuutos — disastrous or sudden change