spastic

[spas-tik]

adjective

1. Pathology.,  pertaining to, of the nature of, or characterized by spasm, especially tonic spasm.

2. Slang: Offensive.,  awkward or clumsy.

noun

1. Pathology.,  a person exhibiting spasms.

2. Slang: Offensive.,  an awkward or clumsy person.

spastic

/ spæsˈtɪsɪtɪ, ˈspæstɪk /

noun

1. an old-fashioned and now offensive name for a person who has cerebral palsy

2. taboo,  a clumsy, incapable, or incompetent person

adjective

1. affected by or resembling spasms

2. taboo,  clumsy, incapable or incompetent

Sensitive Note

The slang use of spastic (or spaz ) to mean “clumsy” is perceived as insulting to people who are affected with muscular spasms.

Other Word Forms

• spastically adverb
• spasticity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of spastic¹

1745–55; < Latin spasticus afflicted with spasms < Greek spastikós of a spasm, equivalent to spas-, stem of spân to pull off, pluck, convulse + -tikos -tic

Word History and Origins

Origin of spastic¹

C18: from Latin spasticus, from Greek spastikos, from spasmos _spasm

Example Sentences

For a later scene when Man-soo is strolling, businesslike, toward his first attempted murder, Lee improvised a spastic callback to the earlier snake moment.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But onstage, her love of all things spastically weird and macabre makes her humor a fun and frightening project to unpack for fans and unsuspecting “normie” audiences alike.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Knowing how these molecular machines work may be key to understanding and treating motoneuron diseases such as multiple sclerosis and spastic paraplegia.

Read more on Science Daily

We witnessed it early in 2015 when Trump, on video, mocked a disabled reporter by flailing his arms in spastic motions and moaning.

Read more on Salon

She said her husband, who has spastic cerebral palsy and who uses a motorised wheelchair, was not offered any help by Air Canada crew to get off the plane.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• aberrant 
• anomalous 
• atypical 
• bizarre 
• exceptional 
• extraordinary 
• irregular 
• odd 
• peculiar 
• strange 
• uncommon 
• unexpected 
• unnatural 
• unusual 
• weird