Meanings
plural apoplexies
- countabledateduncountablemedicineUnconsciousness or incapacity resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke.
- countabledateduncountablemedicineGross hemorrhage into a cavity or into the substance of an organ.
- countableinformaluncountableA state of intense anger; uncontrollable fury so intense as to have effects like a stroke.
That message sent him into a fit of apoplexy.
1 more example
Ten Straight White Males die of a mysterious disease and the nation has apoplexy — Headlines — TV Reports — Sympathy. MONEY comes pouring in and there was no discussion about where to find it.
1983 August 13, Jim Wilson, “Learning From AIDS”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 5, page 6
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA state of intense anger; uncontrollable fury so intense as to have effects like a stroke.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἀποπληξία“madness; apoplexy, paralysis”
- Late Latinapoplexia
- Old Frenchapoplexie
- Englishapoplexy
Late Middle English from Old French apoplexie, from Late Latin apoplexia, from Ancient Greek ἀποπληξία (apoplēxía, “madness; apoplexy, paralysis”), from ἀποπλήσσω (apoplḗssō, “to cripple by a stroke”) + -ία (-ía, nominal suffix). See plague.
More words from Old French, Late Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀποπληξία
- ἀποπληξία (apoplēxía)bleeding of internal organs
Bulgarian апоплексия, апоплексия
- апоплексия (apopleksija)bleeding of internal organs
- апоплексия (apopleksija)loss of consciousness
Catalan apoplexia
- apoplexialoss of consciousness
Chinese Mandarin 卒中
- 卒中 (cùzhòng)bleeding of internal organs
Dutch apoplexie
- apoplexieloss of consciousness
Esperanto apopleksio
- apopleksioloss of consciousness
Finnish sisäinen verenvuoto
- sisäinen verenvuotobleeding of internal organs
French apoplexie
- apoplexieloss of consciousness
German Apoplex, Apoplexie
- Apoplexbleeding of internal organs
- Apoplexiebleeding of internal organs
- Apoplexialoss of consciousness
- Apoplexieloss of consciousness
- Schlaganfallloss of consciousness
- Apoplexloss of consciousness
Greek αποπληξία, αποπληξία
- αποπληξία (apoplixía)loss of consciousness
- αποπληξία (apoplixía)loss of consciousness
Hebrew שָׁבָץ, שבץ
- שָׁבָץ (shavátz)bleeding of internal organs
- שבץ (shavatz)loss of consciousness
Hindi रक्ताघात
- रक्ताघात (raktāghāt)bleeding of internal organs
Hungarian apoplexia
- apoplexiableeding of internal organs
Irish apaipléis
- apaipléisloss of consciousness
Polish apopleksja, apopleksja
- apopleksjableeding of internal organs
- apopleksjaloss of consciousness
Portuguese apoplexia
- apoplexialoss of consciousness
Russian апопле́кси́я
- апопле́кси́я (apopléksíja)loss of consciousness
Slovak apoplexia
- apoplexialoss of consciousness
Spanish apoplejía, apoplejía
- apoplejíableeding of internal organs
- apoplejíaloss of consciousness
Swedish apoplexi
- apoplexiloss of consciousness
Tagalog sumpong-ulo
- sumpong-uloloss of consciousness
Turkish inme, sekte
- inmeloss of consciousness
- sekteloss of consciousness
Cite this entry
apoplexy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apoplexy
“apoplexy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apoplexy. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “apoplexy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apoplexy.
Source: apoplexy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.