convulsions

7 synonyms for convulsions, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Plural noun — Sudden, violent and uncontrollable contractions of the muscles, usually affecting much of the body and often caused by a seizure or a high fever.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

turmoil

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

seizures fits spasms paroxysms upheavals tumult

Synonyms by Meaning

1. plural noun medical

Sudden, violent and uncontrollable contractions of the muscles, usually affecting much of the body and often caused by a seizure or a high fever.

“The child was taken to hospital after suffering convulsions.”

seizures fits spasms paroxysms

2. plural noun

Violent upheaval or disruption within a society, market or institution.

“The convulsions of the 1930s reshaped European politics.”

upheavals turmoil tumult

How to use convulsions

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

febrile convulsions suffer convulsions go into convulsions in convulsions of laughter

Medical in the main sense; the laughter sense is informal and always plural.

Etymology

From Latin convulsio, from convellere "to pull violently, to wrench", from con- (intensive) and vellere "to pluck, pull".

Full origin of convulsions →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between convulsions and seizures?

A seizure is the underlying burst of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Convulsions are one possible outward sign of it — the violent jerking of the muscles. Many seizures produce no convulsions at all, causing only staring, confusion or brief loss of awareness.

What are febrile convulsions?

They are convulsions triggered by a rapid rise in body temperature, most often in children between six months and five years old during an infection. They usually last under five minutes and, though alarming, do not normally indicate epilepsy or cause brain damage.

What should you do if someone has convulsions?

Keep them safe rather than trying to restrain them: move hard objects away, cushion the head, do not put anything in the mouth, and turn them onto their side once the movements stop. Call emergency services if it lasts more than five minutes, repeats, or the person is injured or does not recover.

People also searched

turmoil tumult

Nearby words

← Back to the full definition of convulsions