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atactic

atactic

9.9
Not able to control body movements, making them unsteady or clumsy
  • adjective
  • /əˈtæktɪk/
  • Specialized
: atáctico
  • Children with atactic symptoms may have trouble coordinating their hands and feet during simple activities like throwing a ball.

Examples

  • After the accident, he suffered from atactic movements, making it difficult for him to walk.

  • Her atactic behavior was noticeable during the dance performance, as she struggled to keep in time with the music.

  • Which of the three atactic, cyndiotactic or isotactic would be most favorable from the standpoint of partial crystallization to loop back and forth?

Synonyms

uncoordinated
vsatactic
7 4.8

Not able to move with control so movements look clumsy

is a medical term focusing on neurologically caused lack of coordination
ataxic
vsatactic
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Having unsteady, uncontrolled movements because the muscles do not work together

is about uncoordinated movements especially tied to a specific neurological condition
apractic
vsatactic
  • Specialized
9.9

Uncoordinated muscle movements that make simple actions hard

is used for lack of coordination most often due to a neurological origin
apraxic
vsatactic
  • Specialized
9.9

Not able to make coordinated movements because of a problem in the brain

is about lacking coordination but usually describes movement inability rather than clumsiness

Antonyms

9 3.8

Able to move different parts of the body smoothly and accurately

Compounds

atactic abasia
  • Specialized
9.9

A condition that stops a person from walking because their leg muscles do not work together

How Coordinated

nimble
22 4.4
coordinated
9 3.8
atactic
  • Specialized
9.9
clumsy
95 1.2

Surface Forms

atactic positive

Morphology

atactic = tactic (opaque) = a + tactic

Although transparently formed from the privative prefix 'a-' plus a root cognate of 'tactic' (arrangement), the medical meaning 'lacking coordination' is not inferable from the everyday sense of 'tactic' (strategy).

Etymology

Atactic comes from the parts a- meaning 'not' and tactic meaning 'ordered' or 'arranged', the same root you see in the word tactic. So, atactic describes movements that have 'no order' and are uncoordinated.