convulsive

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

adjective affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; resembling a spasm
adjective resembling a convulsion in being sudden and violent

From French convulsif.

This mute despair, mingled with convulsive sobs, was heart-rending. — The Wandering Jew — Complete, Eugène Sue
The leopard gave a convulsive quiver, and lay dead. — On the Irrawaddy: A Story of the First Burmese War, G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
Earth and heaven had undergone a sudden and convulsive change. — The Rifle Rangers, Mayne Reid

spasmodic, spastic

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