convulsive

[ kuhn-vuhl-siv ]

adjective

Origin of convulsive

From the Latin word convulsīvus, dating back to 1605–15. See convulse, -ive

It means an out of control, almost convulsive state of emotional breakdown.
Why Comedians Still Think Bill Cosby Is a Genius | Mark Whitaker | October 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the throes of its convulsive Cultural Revolution, with exactly one ambassador permitted overseas, Beijing was totally isolated.
Winston Lord and Leslie H. Gelb: Nixon’s China Opening, 40 Years Later | Winston Lord, Leslie H. Gelb | February 20, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Richard Nixon won big in 1972, for instance, at a time of deep and convulsive national unhappiness.
Obama’s Era of Decline | Peter Beinart | August 8, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
So his death has had the same convulsive impact as that of Jean-Michel Basquiat who died one year older in 1988.
Remembering Dash Snow | Anthony Haden-Guest | July 18, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
He watched her, saw the little body heave down its entire length, noted the small convulsive movements of it.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood

The man roared furiously, and gave a convulsive heave that almost upset myself and the big chair, and disengaged the key!
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. Ballantyne
Pale as a ghost, her fingers intertwined in a convulsive grip, she knelt by her cousin's bed and told her shameful story.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3) | Charles James Wills
Every third day his convulsive tremblings, his dejection, his fits of wandering, seemed to indicate the approach of dissolution.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
He sat on a low stool, his face buried in his hands, breaking the stillness every now and then with his convulsive sobs.
Eric, or Little by Little | Frederic W. Farrar

Browse