Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Convulsive \Con*vul"sive\, a. [Cf. F. convulsif.] Producing, or attended with, convulsions or spasms; characterized by convulsions; convulsionary.
An irregular, convulsive movement may be necessary to
throw off an irregular, convulsive disease.
--Burke.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1610s, from French convulsif, from Medieval Latin *convulsivus, from convulsus, past participle of convellere (see convulse (v.)). Related: Convulsively.
Wiktionary
a. 1 Marked by or having the nature of convulsions. 2 Having or producing convulsions.
WordNet
Usage examples of "convulsive".
In a convulsive effort to utter the loved name of Aloysia, the vision passed away, and she found herself in the dark church and on the cold flags, weeping away the overflow of a heart too full of joy.
The ropes at her ankles as well as those dragging up her arms confined her to an extremely limited range of movement, just enough to excite me with her convulsive gyrations and her buckings and lungings which made her thighs and bubbies jounce and jiggle and express the luscious resilience of her naked flesh.
All during the fading clatter from the fire escape and the dwindling footbeats from the cement of the rear courtyard, The Shadow lashed about the room with Hawser, artfully, forcing the strangler to waste his convulsive fury.
It relieves muscular twitching, cramps, hiccups, convulsive fits of coughing and those sudden, sharp twinges of pain.
Van Swieten quotes the history of a case of suppression of the menstrual function in which there were convulsive contractions of the body, followed by paralysis of the right arm.
She felt the sharp pain of teeth in her flesh and then there was a convulsive jerking to the body perched on hers and the Thas rolled off to lie beside her, its rootlike fingers, its thin arms, threading wildly in the air.
Natasha did not change her position, but her whole body heaved with noiseless, convulsive sobs which choked her.
Convulsive tremours assailed him, and hilarious sobs escaped at intervals from his tortured frame.
Instead of simply hitting the sand and staying there as she had the last time, she had instead thrown her body into a convulsive, wavelike movement as she hit the ground, her arching back and legs bouncing her off the sand and up into an impossible-looking hand-and-foot grip on the underside of the swoop.
The two rigid acolytes gave convulsive jerks and groaned, and their own eyes rolled normally in their heads again before they slumped down unconscious.
It gave Hermione a sudden convulsive sensation of pleasure, to see these rich colours under the candle-light.
Some strange, dark, convulsive power was in Hermione, fascinating and repelling.
Uncle Hymie gave a convulsive start, shot out of his chair, woke Irma with a well-directed slap, and then turned his full attention towards Sigmund.
He made a sudden convulsive movement in his primary waldoes, quite unlike his normal, beautifully economical rhythm.
It was a corrosive experience for him, watching the horror burrowing into their lives, but when he finally had to tell about the cross and the horns of the bull, Priscilla broke into convulsive sobbing, while Aquila seemed on the verge of black despair.