spasmodic

adjective

spas·mod·ic spaz-ˈmä-dik

Synonyms of spasmodic next

: relating to or affected or characterized by spasm

: resembling a spasm especially in sudden violence

a spasmodic jerk

: acting or proceeding fitfully : intermittent

spasmodic activity

: subject to outbursts of emotional excitement : excitable

spasmodically

spaz-ˈmä-di-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for spasmodic

fitful, spasmodic, convulsive mean lacking steadiness or regularity in movement.

fitful implies intermittence, a succession of starts and stops or risings and fallings.

fitful sleep

spasmodic adds to fitful the implication of rapid or violent activity alternating with inactivity.

spasmodic growth

convulsive suggests the breaking of regularity or quiet by uncontrolled movement.

convulsive shocks

Example Sentences

He made only spasmodic attempts to lose weight. spasmodic problems that we will have to deal with as they crop up

Recent Examples on the Web That book is a masterpiece, weaving together the story of the exiled daughter of a Trujillo loyalist with the plot of the three men who—in a combination of rage, desperation, and spasmodic courage—finally assassinated the dictator, in 1961. —

Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2021 Somewhere along the fault line, a section of rock can take the strain no longer and gives way, allowing a tectonic plate to jerk into motion in a series of spasmodic shudders. —

Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 12 Sep. 2016 According to the National Library of Medicine, asafoetida has been used as a cough expectorant, an anti-spasmodic and to kill parasites or worms. —

Shalbha Sarda, CNN, 11 Jan. 2023 Horrific spasmodic cycles of violence and death is the result. —

Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2014 But state support in tidal energy—in the UK and beyond—has been spasmodic at best. —

WIRED, 26 Oct. 2022 The elegant simplicity of that hook is supported by a disturbing internal mythology and an unnerving physical performance from kabuki actress Rie Inoo, who plays a small but memorable role as the film's spasmodic, well-dwelling ghost Sadako. —

Katie Rife, EW.com, 30 July 2022 The album, due Oct. 28, has the same fury of its predecessor with all the spasmodic, head-turning weirdness Patton fans expect. —

Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 19 July 2022 Have Donovan Mitchell play like a spasmodic blind man through the first half, relying on Bojan Bogdanovic to save them, to keep them close over that span. —

Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Apr. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spasmodic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.