spasmodic

1 lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence spasmodic problems that we will have to deal with as they crop up Synonyms aperiodic, casual, catchy, choppy, discontinuous, episodic (also episodical), erratic, intermittent, irregular, occasional, fitful, spastic, sporadic, spotty, unsteadyRelated Words convulsive, sudden, violent; broken, disconnected, fragmentary, interrupted; aimless, arbitrary, desultory, haphazard, hit-and-miss, hit-or-miss, odd, random, scattered, slapdash, stray; capricious, changeful, changing, flickery, fluctuating, fluid, inconstant, mercurial, mutable, temperamental, uncertain, unpredictable, unsettled, unstable, varying, wavering; changeable, fickle, variable, volatileNear Antonyms changeless, equable, even, stable, stationary, uniform; unchanging, unvarying, unwavering; methodical (also methodic), orderly, systematic; unrelenting, unremittingAntonyms constant, continuous, habitual, periodic, regular, repeated, steady

2 easily excited by nature a talk show host who was famed for his edgy, spasmodic manner Synonyms fiddle-footed, flighty, fluttery, high-strung, hyper, hyperactive, hyperexcitable, hyperkinetic, jittery, jumpy, nervous, skittery, skittish, excitable, spookyRelated Words hot-blooded, mercurial, temperamental, unstable, volatile, volcanic; anxious, edgy, flibbertigibbety, nervy, tense, uptight; emotional, emotionalistic, hypersensitive, intense, sensitive, soulful; dramatic, histrionic, melodramatic; irascible, irritable, perturbable, prickly, testy, touchyNear Antonyms calm, collected, cool, serene, tranquil; easy, easygoing, laid-back, relaxedAntonyms imperturbable, nerveless, unexcitable, unflappable, unshakable