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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

Examples 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 In Nigeria, Baba has worked through record heat and spasmodic, severe rainfalls. thehustle.co, 12 Apr. 2024 Some had common themes: posture, plugged ears, the power of mind over spasmodic clenching of the diaphragm, which is basically what a hiccup is. Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 25 May 2024 Ahmadinejad’s final years in office were spent battling open subversion by the rest of the establishment as well as the spasmodic crises -- hyperinflation, the currency crash, product shortages -- sparked by the sanctions regime. Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 27 Nov. 2013 The music is a spasmodic mix of heavy metal, techno, and trap. Leila Sales, SPIN, 7 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for spasmodic 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spasmodic
Adjective
  • Bird flu viruses typically don’t infect humans, aside from sporadic cases in people who have close contact with infected animals.
    Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Light, sporadic snow will continue in the Denver area through Sunday, forecasters said.
    Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • There are no gilded gates here, but there is one heck of a party, complete with serenading busts, ballroom dancers, excitable opera singers, drunken buffoonery and portraits locked in an endless duel.
    Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Our excitable friends would indeed be correct that a theoretical 25 percent tariff across the board would have an adverse effect on business aviation.
    Brian Foley, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Tom Edge, who has written the bulk of the TV series, and Sue Tully, the show’s longtime director, wisely make no attempt to put those reams of online chatter onscreen, settling for the occasional spoken reference.
    Mike Hale, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
  • In other words, your new version of friendship might mean an occasional game of pickleball or drinks in a large group, rather than late-night FaceTime calls and movie nights.
    Jenna Ryu, SELF, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Some parents are nervous to send their kids back to the center, given the air quality concerns and its proximity to the burn area.
    Kate Sequeira, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Ellie is nervous, and so naturally, her dead lesbian aunt manifests as an unwanted spiritual gay guide.
    Sadie Collins, Them, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Such moments of creative exhilaration were intermittent adornments of a diffuse slog.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Situated only a hefty clearance from the Manchester Ship Canal, the ground, complete with a two-storey clubhouse, 250-seat stand and even a commentators’ box, has since had intermittent use from various Sunday League sides and most recently an under-18s team managed by YouTuber ‘Angry Ginge’.
    Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But, an approach solely focused on sudden movements could lead to so many false triggers, users would likely find the option more annoying than beneficial—and that’s where machine learning, a segment of AI focused on pattern recognition, comes into play.
    Reece Rogers, WIRED, 25 Jan. 2025
  • The coastal city of Rancho Palos Verdes suffered sudden movement from a decades-old complex of slow-moving landslides last fall, twisting roads and putting multimillion-dollar homes on the brink of destruction.
    Karina Tsui, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Biden appeared unsteady, his responses erratic, his voice a hoarse whisper.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
  • The mountains can also make the winds more erratic because additional whirls of wind, known as wind eddies, can form as the air moves across the peaks and through the canyons.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near spasmodic

Cite this Entry

“Spasmodic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spasmodic. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on spasmodic

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