spastic
Americanadjective
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Pathology. pertaining to, of the nature of, or characterized by spasm, especially tonic spasm.
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Slang: Offensive. awkward or clumsy.
noun
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Pathology. a person exhibiting spasms.
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Slang: Offensive. an awkward or clumsy person.
noun
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an old-fashioned and now offensive name for a person who has cerebral palsy
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taboo a clumsy, incapable, or incompetent person
adjective
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affected by or resembling spasms
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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
Etymology
Origin of spastic
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
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.
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.
From 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.
From Science Daily
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.
From BBC
However, Popert, who was born with a form of cerebral palsy called spastic diplegia, bogeyed the eighth and Lawlor birdied the 10th to leave them tied on two over par.
From BBC
The most common type is spastic diplegia, which Diviney is diagnosed with.
From Reuters
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
