spasmodic

CEFRC1

/spæzˈmɒd.ɪk/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Happening suddenly and irregularly.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Convulsive; consisting of spasms.

Examples

  • Spasmodic means occurring in brief and irregular bursts of energy.

  • The old engine made a series of loud and spasmodic noises.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
3
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Intermittent or fitful; occurring in abrupt bursts.

  2. Of or relating to a spasm; resembling a sudden contraction of the muscles.

  3. Erratic or unsustained.

More examples

In context

  • The patient experienced spasmodic muscle contractions in his leg.

  • spasmodic zeal or industry

  • spasmodic asthma

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The doctor described the patient's coughing as blank because it came in sudden, short bursts.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From New Latin spasmōdicus, from Ancient Greek σπασμώδης (spasmṓdēs, “spasmodic”), from σπασμός (spasmós, “spasm”).