as in upheaval
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order)
the Russian Revolution was one of the major convulsions of the 20th century
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Recent Examples of convulsion
What Experts Say The ACIP agenda had noted a two-hour block to discuss the MMRV vaccine, including a presentation on febrile seizure, a type of convulsion, following the vaccine—a very rare complication, seen predominantly in children between 12 and 23 months old.
—
Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2025
Christopher Rufo, another influential Trumpist, who led the move against diversity initiatives that eventually became a core tenet of the second Trump Administration, invoked the political convulsions of the nineteen-sixties.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2025
An hour later, Bradley Fullerton’s cellmate sought help because Fullerton was having convulsions, according to the filing.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
At the end of almost 4 billion years, on a planet bereft of complex life, the Earth had been suddenly throttled by the most extreme convulsions of the carbon cycle in its entire history.
—Peter Brannen
august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for convulsion
Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2025
Christopher Rufo, another influential Trumpist, who led the move against diversity initiatives that eventually became a core tenet of the second Trump Administration, invoked the political convulsions of the nineteen-sixties.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2025
An hour later, Bradley Fullerton’s cellmate sought help because Fullerton was having convulsions, according to the filing.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
At the end of almost 4 billion years, on a planet bereft of complex life, the Earth had been suddenly throttled by the most extreme convulsions of the carbon cycle in its entire history.
—Peter Brannen
august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for convulsion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for convulsion
Noun
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Al-Sudani, who rose to power after that upheaval, insisted his government had taken tangible steps to restore public trust, such as economic progress and political stability.—
Emma Graham,
CNBC,
15 Oct. 2025
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But this journey takes place during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis, a moment of profound historical upheaval and political unrest — when everything is on the verge of change.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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History happened here with an unprecedented number of fashion revolutions and evolutions.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
8 Oct. 2025
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And as the superpowers moved on from Cold War battlefields, the ideological paradigms that had once made Central American revolutions feel globally significant faded with them.—
Tim Brinkhof,
JSTOR Daily,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But elections could act as a lightning rod for frustration over political repression to tip over into unrest.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
10 Oct. 2025
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Lecornu appeared to have negotiated a safeguard against further political unrest.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The breakthrough could help create smaller, portable clocks capable of detecting dark matter, predicting earthquakes, and testing the laws of physics.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
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The earthquake struck at a depth of just 3 miles, with its epicenter roughly 24 miles south-southeast of Sandy Valley.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Convulsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/convulsion. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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