Spasmodic Meaning
/spæzˈmɒd.ɪk/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjOf or relating to a spasm; resembling a sudden contraction of the muscles.
adjConvulsive; consisting of spasms.
Sentence Examples
The old engine made a series of loud and spasmodic noises.
Spasmodic means occurring in brief and irregular bursts of energy.
The patient experienced spasmodic muscle contractions in his leg.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor described the patient's coughing as ____ because it came in sudden, short bursts.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The engine made ____ noises before finally breaking down completely in the middle of the highway.
Word Origin & History
From New Latin spasmōdicus, from Ancient Greek σπασμώδης (spasmṓdēs, “spasmodic”), from σπασμός (spasmós, “spasm”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] Dr. Francis Fuller, […] upon wearing a Quick-ſilver Girdle, for the Cure of the Itch, (and that after an inconſiderate and raſh manner) was brought under a violent Spaſmodick Diſtemper, which was ſupposed by himſelf and others to be owing to ſome Mercurial Particles lodg'd in ſome excretory Ducts of the Brain."
— 1734, T[homas] K[night], A Critical Dissertation upon the Manner of the Preparation of Mercurial Medicines, and Their Operation on Human Bodies; particularly Those Most in Fashion: […], London: Printed for Harmen Noorthouck […], →OCLC, page 52:
"Kennedy’s vocal rasp is not caused by an infection or respiratory condition. Instead, he has spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological condition in which the muscles that open and close his vocal cords spasm involuntarily, creating a strained or strangled quality to his speech."
— 2025 January 29, Sandee LaMotte, “A rare brain disorder robbed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of his strong speaking voice”, in CNN:
"The chin was heavy, the nostrils were low and wide, and the lower lip hung loosely except in his moments of spasmodic earnestness, when it shut like a steel trap."
— 1900 April, Willa Cather, “Eric Hermannson's Soul”, in Cosmopolitan:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor described the patient's coughing as ____ because it came in sudden, short bursts.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The engine made ____ noises before finally breaking down completely in the middle of the highway.