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
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
Explanation
A spastic motion is jerky and convulsive. This word also applies to people suffering from spastic paralysis. Have you ever had a muscle spasm? Then you know what it's like to have a muscle move jerkily on its own. That kind of unpredictable, uncontrolled movement is called spastic. Anyone could have a spastic muscle briefly, but some people have spastic paralysis, in which their muscles are permanently out of their control and difficult to use. People with this condition have sometimes been called spastics, but that term is now offensive and should be avoided.
Vocabulary lists containing spastic
My Life with the Chimpanzees
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Becoming Kareem
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The Benefits of Being an Octopus
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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.
Scientists at Ruhr University Bochum found that the protein produced by CD99L2 works as an activating partner for CAPN1, a calcium-dependent protease already known to be involved in hereditary spastic paraplegia and ataxia.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 13, 2026
It suggested a number of conditions, including hereditary spastic paraplegia, which Phoebe presented to her GP.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
The most common type is spastic diplegia, which Diviney is diagnosed with.
From Reuters ● Mar. 3, 2023
Ellingen, 37, has athetoid spastic cerebral palsy because of complications at birth.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2022
It wasn’t the first time I noticed this — how Renee kind of swished around in a cloud of perfume, and Annette just popped up like some spastic hand puppet.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
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.
