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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective spasmodic contrast with its synonyms?

The words convulsive and fitful are common synonyms of spasmodic. While all three words mean "lacking steadiness or regularity in movement," spasmodic adds to fitful the implication of rapid or violent activity alternating with inactivity.

spasmodic growth

When is convulsive a more appropriate choice than spasmodic?

The synonyms convulsive and spasmodic are sometimes interchangeable, but convulsive suggests the breaking of regularity or quiet by uncontrolled movement.

convulsive shocks

When is it sensible to use fitful instead of spasmodic?

While in some cases nearly identical to spasmodic, fitful implies intermittence, a succession of starts and stops or risings and fallings.

fitful sleep

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spasmodic Colicky pain occurs as sudden spasmodic abdominal pain that occurs in cycles and then resolves. Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 12 July 2024 Kennedy has also previously suggested that his spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological disorder that can impact voice and speech, is a side effect of the flu vaccine. Solcyré Burga, TIME, 16 July 2024 Tragically, Linda Thompson can’t sing anymore due to a medical condition called spasmodic dysphonia. Tribune News Service, New York Daily News, 1 July 2024 In Nigeria, Baba has worked through record heat and spasmodic, severe rainfalls. thehustle.co, 12 Apr. 2024 See All Example Sentences for spasmodic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spasmodic
Adjective
  • But the absence of The Rock—the catalyst of this entire turn—throughout the entire build of WrestleMania, mixed with the sporadic appearances from Cena, hurt the storytelling of what could have been a deeply complex villain.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Justin Turner has been among those helping Workman navigate his first experience with life in the big leagues and sporadic playing time.
    LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • And if Django’s Billy Crash tapped into Goggins’s ability to thrive with brutal spite, Mannix plays more to Goggins’s excitable energy and capacity for being clever (even when his character seems to be anything but).
    Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
  • For someone so obsessed with the granular details of carbohydrates and fueling, Roche runs with an easy, excitable freedom.
    Devin Kelly, Outside Online, 3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The house that the Americans strategically position themselves in is home to two families; there are occasional insert shots of family photos and trinkets, and at several points these families are shown cowering, terrified by what’s happening around them.
    Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2025
  • In general, bigleaf hydrangeas require little pruning, save for occasional shaping and thinning.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • At times brutal and always volatile, the album functions as a sort of electro-shock therapy applied from the shoulders down, layering hard beats, ambient whorls, and nervous acid ticks to trigger a state of full-body rapture.
    Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 18 Apr. 2025
  • At the same time, sellers might get nervous if deal activity slows down.
    James Nelson, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The pair are searching for the source of a particular beep: the intermittent ping that a smoke alarm makes when its battery is running low.
    Kirk Johnson, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Based on the research, participants lost about 7 to 11 pounds over 10 weeks while intermittent fasting.18 Remember, fad diets are not healthy for you, especially long term.
    Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Several conditions may cause sudden vision loss, such as an eye injury.
    Heidi Cope, Health, 19 Apr. 2025
  • All of a sudden, something that was a huge source of joy in my grandparents’ life became a challenge.
    Katie Akin, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The cuts would devastate weather and climate research as weather is becoming more erratic, extreme and costly.
    Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Wall Street has been in an erratic yo-yo pattern since Donald Trump announced, held off, implemented, augmented, and paused worldwide tariffs.
    Lieke ten Brummelhuis, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Spasmodic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spasmodic. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on spasmodic

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