Standard Lemma guide

convulsion

noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kənˈvʌlʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 N V AH1 L SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An intense, paroxysmal, involuntary muscular contraction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An uncontrolled fit, as of laughter; a paroxysm.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Violent turmoil.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Earthquakes and convulsions of nature shake Earth on a regular basis.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Hysteric in nature.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a physical disturbance such as an earthquake or upheaval

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: trouble

6

noun

Meaning 6

a violent disturbance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the convulsions of the stock market

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: turmoil, upheaval

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disturbance, disruption, commotion, flutter, hurly burly, to-do, hoo-ha, hoo-hah, kerfuffle

7

noun

Meaning 7

violent uncontrollable contractions of muscles

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: seizure, ictus, raptus

Narrower terms: clonus, epileptic seizure

8

noun

Meaning 8

a sudden uncontrollable attack

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a paroxysm of giggling
  • a fit of coughing
  • convulsions of laughter

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: paroxysm, fit

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: attack

History

Etymology

From Latin convulsiō, from convellō.

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: اِخْتِلَاج (iḵtilāj) — intense muscular contraction
  • Asturian: convulsión — intense muscular contraction
  • Bulgarian: конву́лсия (konvúlsija) — intense muscular contraction
  • Bulgarian: гърчене (gǎrčene) — intense muscular contraction
  • Catalan: convulsió — intense muscular contraction
  • Chinese Mandarin: 痙攣 /痉挛 (jìngluán) — intense muscular contraction
  • Danish: krampe — intense muscular contraction
  • Danish: krampetrækning — intense muscular contraction
  • Dutch: kramp — intense muscular contraction
  • Esperanto: konvulsio — intense muscular contraction
  • Finnish: kouristus — intense muscular contraction
  • French: convulsion — intense muscular contraction
  • Galician: convulsión — intense muscular contraction
  • Georgian: კონვულსია (ḳonvulsia) — intense muscular contraction
  • Georgian: კრუნჩხვა (ḳrunčxva) — intense muscular contraction
  • German: Konvulsion — intense muscular contraction
  • German: Krampf — intense muscular contraction
  • Greek: σύσπαση (sýspasi) — intense muscular contraction
  • Greek: σπασμός (spasmós) — intense muscular contraction
  • Ancient Greek: σπασμός (spasmós) — intense muscular contraction
  • Hungarian: rángatózás — intense muscular contraction
  • Japanese: 痙攣 (keiren) — intense muscular contraction
  • Māori: tīkoro — intense muscular contraction
  • Māori: hukihuki — intense muscular contraction
  • Navajo: iichʼąh — intense muscular contraction
  • Navajo: ashchʼąh — intense muscular contraction
  • Persian: تشنج — intense muscular contraction
  • Portuguese: convulsão — intense muscular contraction
  • Romanian: convulsie — intense muscular contraction
  • Russian: конву́льсия (konvúlʹsija) — intense muscular contraction
  • Serbo-Croatian: гр̏ч — intense muscular contraction
  • Serbo-Croatian: gȑč — intense muscular contraction
  • Spanish: convulsión — intense muscular contraction
  • Swedish: konvulsion — intense muscular contraction
  • Tagalog: suba — intense muscular contraction
  • Tagalog: kumbulsiyon — intense muscular contraction
  • Tagalog: taol — intense muscular contraction
  • Tamil: வலிப்பு (valippu) — intense muscular contraction
  • Telugu: ఫిట్లు (phiṭlu) — intense muscular contraction
  • Bulgarian: при́стъп (prístǎp) — uncontrolled fit
  • Finnish: kohtaus — uncontrolled fit
  • Greek: σπασμός (spasmós) — uncontrolled fit
  • Greek: κρίση (krísi) — uncontrolled fit
  • Ancient Greek: σπασμός (spasmós) — uncontrolled fit
  • Russian: при́ступ (prístup) — uncontrolled fit
  • Sranan Tongo: adube — uncontrolled fit
  • Telugu: ఫిట్లు (phiṭlu) — uncontrolled fit
  • Finnish: mullistus — violent turmoil
  • Galician: convulsión — violent turmoil
  • Greek: αναστάτωση (anastátosi) — violent turmoil
  • Greek: αναταραχή (anatarachí) — violent turmoil
  • Hungarian: háborgás — violent turmoil
  • Hungarian: rengés — violent turmoil
  • Telugu: ఫిట్లు (phiṭlu) — violent turmoil
  • Telugu: పూనకం (pūnakaṁ) — hysteric in nature