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Glite Dictionary
spastic gesture

spastic gesture

9.1
An uncontrolled sudden jerky movement of a hand or body
  • noun
  • /ˈspæstɪk ˈdʒɛstʃər/
translation icon : gesto espástico
  • She tried to control her spastic gesture, but her hand jerked unexpectedly.

Examples

  • The patient's spastic gestures were a result of his neurological condition.

  • In his excitement, the child waved his arms in a spastic gesture that knocked over a glass.

  • The comedian's spastic gestures made everyone laugh.

  • He made a spastic gesture while trying to catch the ball.

  • Her spastic gestures during the presentation distracted everyone.

  • The dancer's spastic gesture drew laughter from the audience as she stumbled.

  • During the meeting, he made a spastic gesture that caused everyone to pause and look at him.

Synonyms

gesture
vsspastic gesture
140 2.3

A movement of the body that shows a thought or feeling

is uncontrolled and awkward rather than an intentional expressive movement
twitching
vsspastic gesture
12 4.3

A quick, sudden movement of a muscle you cannot control, often in an eyelid

is broader focusing on awkward whole body moves not just small spasms
jerking
vsspastic gesture
2 4.2

A sudden quick movement that happens without control

is more about awkward uncontrolled bodily movement than mere abrupt spasms

Surface Forms

spastic gesture singular
spastic gestures plural

Morphology

spastic + gesture

The adjective 'spastic' (relating to spasms) straightforwardly modifies 'gesture' (a bodily movement), so a learner who knows both words can infer an uncontrolled, jerky movement. This is a regular adjectival modification pattern found across languages, making the meaning compositionally predictable for B1 learners.

Etymology

Spastic gesture may come from the word 'spasm', a sudden muscle twitch, and gesture, which means a body movement. The vivid image of a quick, jerky move you cannot control is why it means 'an uncontrolled, awkward movement'.