Spasmodic
adjective
Happening at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady.
Her breathing was spasmodic.
Often appears as...
- spasmodic cough
- spasmodic movements
adjective
Relating to or affected by a spasm.
She suffered from spasmodic back pain.
Often appears as...
- spasmodic pain
- spasmodic disorder
Usage tips
Medical
adjective
Happening at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady.
Her breathing was spasmodic.
Often appears as...
- spasmodic cough
- spasmodic movements
adjective
Relating to or affected by a spasm.
She suffered from spasmodic back pain.
Often appears as...
- spasmodic pain
- spasmodic disorder
Usage tips
Medical
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Non-continuous
Use 'spasmodic' to describe actions that start and stop, not flowing smoothly.
His attendance at the weekly meetings was spasmodic.
Pro Tip 2/3Irregular Intervals
It's for events that occur at times that are not predictable or regular.
The village experienced spasmodic power outages.
Pro Tip 3/3Effort or Success
When efforts or successes happen unexpectedly and not often, 'spasmodic' fits well.
His spasmodic attempts at learning the piano didn't yield much progress.
Pro Tip 1/3Non-continuous
Use 'spasmodic' to describe actions that start and stop, not flowing smoothly.
His attendance at the weekly meetings was spasmodic.
Pro Tip 2/3Irregular Intervals
It's for events that occur at times that are not predictable or regular.
The village experienced spasmodic power outages.
Pro Tip 3/3Effort or Success
When efforts or successes happen unexpectedly and not often, 'spasmodic' fits well.
His spasmodic attempts at learning the piano didn't yield much progress.
Pro Tip 1/3Non-continuous
Use 'spasmodic' to describe actions that start and stop, not flowing smoothly.
His attendance at the weekly meetings was spasmodic.
Pro Tip 2/3Irregular Intervals
It's for events that occur at times that are not predictable or regular.
The village experienced spasmodic power outages.
Pro Tip 3/3Effort or Success
When efforts or successes happen unexpectedly and not often, 'spasmodic' fits well.
His spasmodic attempts at learning the piano didn't yield much progress.
Compare with
abruptionconvulsiveerraticintermittentinvoluntarysporadicsuddenuncontrolled
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Video examples
The Search for...
find their way there? There was a secret message in her choreography. What had seemed to countless generations of observers to be nothing more than the meaningless spasmodic motions
Video examples
The Search for...
find their way there? There was a secret message in her choreography. What had seemed to countless generations of observers to be nothing more than the meaningless spasmodic motions
Example 1 of 1
Quote examples
Adoniram Judson
American Clergyman
It is my growing conviction that the Baptist churches in America are behind the age in missionary spirit. They now and then make a spasmodic effort to throw off a nightmare debt of some years' accumulation, and then sink back into unconscious repose.
Quote examples
Charles A. Beard
American Historian
The study of history reveals that human progress has not been continuous and regular, but intermittent and spasmodic, often depending upon apparently accidental causes. It is difficult to get a cross-section view of society at any given stage.
Quote examples
Tom Burke
I think, unlike other superheroes, what one gleans about the Musketeers, certainly from the source material, is that the good that they do happens in quite a spasmodic manner, in short bursts.
Quote examples
Adoniram Judson
American Clergyman
It is my growing conviction that the Baptist churches in America are behind the age in missionary spirit. They now and then make a spasmodic effort to throw off a nightmare debt of some years' accumulation, and then sink back into unconscious repose.
Quote examples
Charles A. Beard
American Historian
The study of history reveals that human progress has not been continuous and regular, but intermittent and spasmodic, often depending upon apparently accidental causes. It is difficult to get a cross-section view of society at any given stage.
Quote examples
Tom Burke
I think, unlike other superheroes, what one gleans about the Musketeers, certainly from the source material, is that the good that they do happens in quite a spasmodic manner, in short bursts.
Example 1 of 3
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