Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Marked by or having the nature of convulsions.
- adjective Having or producing convulsions.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Producing or attended by convulsion; tending to convulse: as, “convulsive rage,”
- Of the nature of or characterized by convulsions or spasms.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Producing, or attended with, convulsions or spasms; characterized by convulsions; convulsionary.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Marked by or having the nature of
convulsions . - adjective Having or producing convulsions.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective resembling a convulsion in being sudden and violent
- adjective affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; resembling a spasm
Etymologies
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Examples
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He was suffering from a bad cold, which doubled him up in convulsive coughing spells and made his eyes heavy and bloodshot.
YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF 2010
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Victims of toxic gas canisters fired by Isræli troops writhe in convulsive pain on hospital beds, screaming at the top of their lungs while family and medical aides try vainly to restrain them.
Current Movie Reviews, Independent Movies - Film Threat 2002
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He was suffering from a bad cold, which doubled him up in convulsive coughing spells and made his eyes heavy and bloodshot.
Yellow Handkerchief 1905
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She attempted two or three times to speak, but not a word escaped from her quivering lips; and the tears gushing from her eyes followed each other in quick succession down her cheeks; and, finally, her pent-up feelings found expression in short, convulsive sobs.
From Wealth to Poverty Austin Potter 1877
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He felt the foam on his lips and he thought with every instant that the surcharged veins would burst; hands of steel seemed to crush in upon his chest, knotted cords to tighten in excruciating pain about his loins; he breathed in short, convulsive gasps; his eyes were blind, and his head swam.
Under Two Flags 1839-1908 Ouida 1873
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Her withered bosom rose and fell in short, convulsive sobs, and it was evident that she could scarcely stand.
His Sombre Rivals Edward Payson Roe 1863
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Her bosom rose and fell in short convulsive breathings; and, despite an evident effort to stifle it, an audible sigh escaped her.
The Wild Huntress Love in the Wilderness Mayne Reid 1850
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_ -- Although there is no disease of the nervous system which can be properly termed convulsive, or justify the use of the word convulsion to indicate any particular disease, yet it is often such a prominent symptom that a few words may not be out of place.
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse Charles B. Michener 1877
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Although not a surrealist, Gray does ascribe to the idea of convulsive beauty: beauty, even grim beauty, in the service of liberty.
Ecstatic Days 2009
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Whatever may be the remote cause of paroxysms of asthma, the immediate cause of the convulsive respiration, whether in the common asthma, or in what is termed the convulsive asthma, which are perhaps only different degrees of the same disease, must be owing to violent voluntary exertions to relieve pain, as in other convulsions; and the increase of irritability to internal stimuli, or of sensibility, during sleep must occasion them to commence at this time.
Zoonomia, Vol. I Or, the Laws of Organic Life Erasmus Darwin 1766
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