Spasmodic

//spæzˈmɑ.dɪk// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A medicine for suppressing spasms.
Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or relating to a spasm; resembling a sudden contraction of the muscles.
  2. 2
    Convulsive; consisting of spasms.

    "spasmodic asthma"

  3. 3
    Intermittent or fitful; occurring in abrupt bursts.

    "spasmodic zeal or industry"

  4. 4
    Erratic or unsustained.
  5. 5
    Of or relating to the spasmodic poets, a group of British Victorian poets who wrote introspective drama in verse.
Adjective
  1. 1
    occurring in spells and often abruptly wordnet
  2. 2
    affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; resembling a spasm wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
convulsivesporadicacuteadriftafflictiveafloat

Example

More examples

"Dorothea darted instantaneously from the window; Will followed her, seizing her hand with a spasmodic movement; and so they stood, with their hands clasped, like two children, looking out on the storm, while the thunder gave a tremendous crack and roll above them, and the rain began to pour down."

Etymology

From New Latin spasmōdicus, from Ancient Greek σπασμώδης (spasmṓdēs, “spasmodic”), from σπασμός (spasmós, “spasm”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.