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arrhythmic

arrhythmic

3 8.2
Not having a regular beat or pattern
  • adjective
  • /ˌærˈrɪðmɪk/
: arrítmico
  • It closed automatically before he could recover, and briefly shuddered with arrhythmic thumps.
  • arrhythmic heartbeat
  • arrhythmic heart

Examples

  • Insects sawed back and forth in the trees, wild, arrhythmic, an army of elfin woodsmen.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The doctor's examination revealed that his heartbeat was arrhythmic, indicating a potential heart condition.

  • Two weeks before the concert, Mehli's failing heart becomes arrhythmic.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • But through the open bedroom window comes the sound of your father's snoring, arrhythmic and faltering.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • His snoring—raspy, wet, arrhythmic—would lead her to him in the family room, the kitchen, or the minimally furnished, badly cluttered room that was his at-home office.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • A different and more mysterious kind of sound prevailed—a ceaseless churning like a motor turning over, never quite starting; a deeper throbbing like a jazz downbeat, but arrhythmic, irregular.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • During the performance, the percussionist intentionally played in an arrhythmic style to create a sense of tension.

  • After running a marathon, she noticed her breathing had become arrhythmic, making it difficult to catch her breath.

Synonyms

irregular
vsarrhythmic
42 3.5

Happening at no fixed times

focuses specifically on missing a steady beat or timed pattern
unrhythmical
vsarrhythmic
1 7.4

Having no steady beat or regular pattern

is the general term for lack of regular pattern or beat
unrhythmic
vsarrhythmic
1 7.9

Having no regular beat so movement or sound feels uneven

emphasizes absence of a steady rhythm in any context
nonrhythmic
vsarrhythmic
1 7.4

A sound that has no regular beat

can also describe absence of rhythm without implying intent
arrhythmical
vsarrhythmic
9.3

A sound or movement that has no regular beat

is the shorter modern adjective with the same meaning

Antonyms

35 3.6

Having a regular pattern of sounds or movements

How Regular

regular
∞ 1.0
steady
327 2.0
uneven
48 2.3
irregular
42 3.5
arrhythmic
3 8.2
chaotic
116 4.7

Surface Forms

arrhythmic positive

Morphology

arrhythmic = rhythmic (semi-transparent) = a + rhythm + ic

The meaning is basically 'not rhythmic', but the uncommon classical negative prefix and irregular spelling make the relation less obvious to many learners.

Etymology

Arrhythmic comes from the prefix a- meaning 'not' and the root rhythm meaning 'a regular beat', the same 'rhythm' you hear in music. So arrhythmic means 'without a regular beat', which is why we use it for music, heartbeats, or breathing.