What does "trismus" mean?

The inability to open the mouth normally, typically as a result of disease.

What is a synonym for "trismus"?

Common synonyms include: access, apoplexy, arrest, attack, blockade, convulsion.

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The inability to open the mouth normally, typically as a result of disease. uncountable
2
prolonged spasm of the jaw muscles wordnet

Borrowed from New Latin trismus, from Ancient Greek τρισμός (trismós, “a grinding, rasping, scream”), from Ancient Greek τρίζω (trízō).

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