pulsatory

8.6

Showing a regular beating movement like a heartbeat

adjective
/ˈpʌl.səˌtɔːr.i/

: pulsátil

A pulsatory flow of blood could be felt beneath the skin.

Examples

The device measured the pulsatory movement of the artery during the examination.
The pulsatory beat of the drums filled the room.
The nurse noticed a pulsatory sensation in the patient's wrist.
She felt a pulsatory sensation in her wrist.
The heart beats in a pulsatory rhythm that is essential for pumping blood throughout the body.
During the concert, the music created a pulsatory beat that made everyone want to dance.
The pulsatory motion of the waves against the shore was both calming and mesmerizing.

Synonyms

rhythmic

vspulsatory

42 3.6

Having a regular pattern of sounds or movements

focuses on beating or pulses rather than any repeated pattern

rhythmical

vspulsatory

1 3.9

Happening with a steady, regular beat like music or movement

is about actual beats rather than measured rhythmic structure

metronomic

vspulsatory

1 7.2

Has a steady, regular rhythm like a clock

describes beating quality, not mechanical unvarying tempo

pulsatile

vspulsatory

Specialized

1 8.4

Movement in regular beats you can feel, like a heartbeat

is about general beating rather than distinct successive beats

pulsative

vspulsatory

8.2

Having a regular beat like a heart

is more about relation to beating than describing it as an action

How Rhythmic

throbbing

1 4.3

pulsatory

8.6

rhythmic

42 3.6

steady

304 2.0

irregular

27 3.5

Surface Forms

pulsatory positive

Morphology

pulsatory = pulse (transparent) = pulse + atory

The adjective is a straightforward derivation from 'pulse' with the adjectival suffix '-atory' meaning 'relating to', so the relation is clear to learners who know 'pulse'.

Etymology

The word pulsatory comes from the Latin root puls- meaning 'to beat', and it shares this root with the common word pulse, as in a heartbeat. So something described as pulsatory moves or feels like a steady, regular beat.