A painful and involuntary muscular contraction.

synonyms: cramp, muscle spasm.

Roget 173: violence, inclemency, vehemence, might, impetuosity; boisterousness etc. adj.; effervescence, ebullition; turbulence, bluster; uproar, callithump [U.S.], riot, row, rumpus, le diable a quatre [Fr.], devil to pay, all the fat in the fire.    severity etc. 739; ferocity, rage, fury; exacerbation, exasperation, malignity; fit, paroxysm; orgasm, climax, aphrodisia^†; force, brute force; outrage; coup de main; strain, shock, shog^†; spasm, convulsion, throe; hysterics, passion etc. (state of excitability) 825.    outbreak, outburst; debacle; burst, bounce, dissilience^†, discharge, volley, explosion, blow up, blast, detonation, rush, eruption, displosion^†, torrent.    turmoil etc. (disorder) 59; ferment etc. (agitation) 315; storm, tempest, rough weather; squall etc. (wind) 349; earthquake, volcano, thunderstorm.    berserk, berserker; fury, dragon, demon, tiger, beldame, Tisiphone^†, Megaera, Alecto^†, madcap, wild beast; fire eater etc. (blusterer) 887.    ... show more

Roget 315: agitation, stir, tremor, shake, ripple, jog, jolt, jar, jerk, shock, succussion^†, trepidation, quiver, quaver, dance; jactitation^†, quassation^†; shuffling etc. v.; twitter, flicker, flutter.    turbulence, perturbation; commotion, turmoil, disquiet; tumult, tumultuation^†; hubbub, rout, bustle, fuss, racket, subsultus^†, staggers, megrims, epilepsy, fits; carphology^†, chorea, floccillation^†, the jerks, St.    Vitus's dance, tilmus^†.    spasm, throe, throb, palpitation, convulsion.    disturbance, chaos etc. (disorder) 59; restlessness etc. (changeableness) 149.    ferment, fermentation; ebullition, effervescence, hurly-burly, cahotage^†; tempest, storm, ground swell, heavy sea, whirlpool, vortex etc. 312; whirlwind etc. (wind) 349.    ... show more

Roget 378: pain; suffering, sufferance, suffrance^†; bodily pain, physical pain, bodily suffering, physical suffering, body pain; mental suffering etc. 828; dolour, ache; aching etc. v.; smart; shoot, shooting; twinge, twitch, gripe, headache, stomach ache, heartburn, angina, angina pectoris [Lat.]; hurt, cut; sore, soreness; discomfort, malaise; cephalalgia [Med.], earache, gout, ischiagra^†, lumbago, neuralgia, odontalgia^†, otalgia^†, podagra^†, rheumatism, sciatica; tic douloureux [Fr.], toothache, tormina^†, torticollis^†.    spasm, cramp; nightmare, ephialtes^†; crick, stitch; thrill, convulsion, throe; throb etc. (agitation) 315; pang; colic; kink.    sharp pain, piercing pain, throbbing pain, shooting pain, sting, gnawing pain, burning pain; excruciating pain.    anguish, agony; torment, torture; rack; cruciation^†, crucifixion; martyrdom, toad under a harrow, vivisection.    ... show more

Roget 146: revolution, bouleversement, subversion, break up; destruction etc. 162; sudden change, radical change, sweeping organic change; change of state, phase change; quantum leap, quantum jump; clean sweep, coup d'etat [Fr.], counter revolution.    jump, leap, plunge, jerk, start, transilience^†; explosion; spasm, convulsion, throe, revulsion; storm, earthquake, cataclysm.    legerdemain etc. (trick) 545.    ... show more

Dutch: convulsie, kramp, krimping, spasme, spierkramp, stuip, stuiptrekking
Polish: spazm

pathology Sudden constriction of a hollow organ (as a blood vessel).

Dutch: kramp, spasme
Polish: spazm