Meaning & use
spasmodically
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Meanings
adverbnot comparable
In sudden short bursts that stop and start, instead of in a smooth or steady way.
Grammar: Used after a verb or before a participle: it flickered spasmodically.
Patterns
- jerk spasmodically
- work spasmodically
The old engine coughed spasmodically before it died.
His hand twitched spasmodically as he tried to hold the cup.
The rain fell spasmodically through the afternoon.
adverbnot comparableformal
From time to time and without a regular pattern, said of effort or activity.
Grammar: Often critical, suggesting a lack of steady commitment.
Patterns
- study spasmodically
- work spasmodically
He studied only spasmodically, usually the night before an exam.
The committee met spasmodically over three years.
Work on the road continued spasmodically.
Common combinations
- jerk spasmodically
- The puppet jerked spasmodically on its strings.
- twitch spasmodically
- His eyelid twitched spasmodically from tiredness.
- cough spasmodically
- She coughed spasmodically through the night.
- work spasmodically
- The pump works spasmodically and needs replacing.
- contract spasmodically
- The muscle contracted spasmodically after the long run.
Synonyms and how they differ
- intermittently
- Intermittently means with gaps and is neutral, while spasmodically adds a sense of sudden jerks or unevenness.
- fitfully
- Fitfully suggests restless starts and stops, as in sleep, and is a little softer than spasmodically.
- sporadically
- Sporadically stresses scattered occasions over time, while spasmodically often describes sudden jerking movement as well.
- erratically
- Erratically means unpredictably and without pattern, but does not necessarily include bursts.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: spasmodically or sporadically?
spasmodically vs sporadically
Sporadically means here and there, with long gaps. Spasmodically often describes sudden jerks as well as irregular timing.
Practice
The faulty heater worked only ___, switching on for a minute and then dying.
Choose one answer.
Spasmodically describes stop-and-start bursts. Steadily and reliably mean the opposite, and gradually describes slow change rather than switching on and off.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spasmodically”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.