dystonia

American

[dis-toh-nee-uh] / dɪsˈtoʊ ni ə /

noun

Pathology.

abnormal tone of any tissue.

dystonia British

/ dɪsˈtəʊnɪə /

noun

a neurological disorder, caused by disease of the basal ganglia, in which the muscles of the trunk, shoulders, and neck go into spasm, so that the head and limbs are held in unnatural positions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

dystonic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of dystonia

dys- + -tonia

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

dystonia

Dysport is a muscle relaxant that Ipsen markets for therapeutic indications such as a neck ailment called cervical dystonia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Our disorder is categorized as a kind of laryngeal dystonia, but there are many kinds of dystonia.

From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026

It’s happened often enough that scientists at the Mayo Clinic have a more formal definition for it—involuntary wrist spasms that can stem from a neurological condition called focal dystonia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025

He was diagnosed with a hypoxic brain injury, meaning his brain was starved of oxygen, and four-limb dystonia, which can lead to uncontrolled spasms in his arms and legs.

From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2025

Laryngeal dystonia, known previously as spasmodic dysphonia, is a rare condition that affects over 50,000 people in the US and Canada.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023