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
Now, that job title could be gone by the end of this year, according to the man who created the artificial intelligence (AI) tool that is sending convulsions through the Valley.
—
Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Some permanent changes among survivors have been noted, including persistent convulsions.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2026
For nearly a millennia and half, even in the centuries when physicians were beginning to supplant priests in treating the ill, epileptic convulsions (unexpected, frightening, enigmatic) remained the territory of the priest.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Formed in England in the mid-1600s, the Religious Society of Friends became known for the tremors and convulsions that would overtake its members during prayer.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for convulsion
Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Some permanent changes among survivors have been noted, including persistent convulsions.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2026
For nearly a millennia and half, even in the centuries when physicians were beginning to supplant priests in treating the ill, epileptic convulsions (unexpected, frightening, enigmatic) remained the territory of the priest.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Formed in England in the mid-1600s, the Religious Society of Friends became known for the tremors and convulsions that would overtake its members during prayer.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for convulsion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for convulsion
Noun
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Other local Iranian American groups are making similar efforts to square the spirit of the holiday with the upheaval and violence their families now face.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
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Hundreds of thousands have gathered in Gwanghwamun in recent years to mourn, protest and celebrate as the country weathered tragedy and political upheaval.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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His own parents left the nation that’s located 90 miles off the coast of Florida three years before the 1959 revolution that brought Castro to power.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
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But Cursor has a problem, and that problem is called Claude Code, a competitor launched by Anthropic barely a year ago that helped unleash a revolution in coding via agentic AI.—
Matthew Heimer,
Fortune,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Five years after he was killed, in response to political unrest, the government increased the derivation fund to 13 percent for oil-producing states.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
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O'Hara compared that chaos to the unrest after the 2020 killing of Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, which led to major protests and riots.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
18 Mar. 2026
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Set against the backdrop of the city’s recovery from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the film traces the two women’s gradual reconciliation through their father’s photographs, exploring themes of loss, identity and the Filipino diaspora.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Convulsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/convulsion. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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