intermittent

Examples

• All

• The hikers faced intermittent cell service while climbing the mountain, making it hard to communicate.

• Reports from inside the city are intermittent.

  Horizon (2019)

• Your husband will be gone for six months with only intermittent contact.

  The Mercy (2018)

• OK, that would explain its intermittent behavior.

• The signal was intermittent... and they lost it over open water but... if you project the track... it hits this island group.

  Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

• The patient also had intermittent difficulty controlling his arms when trying to eat.

  Academic text (2012)

• In the distance from the wharf comes the intermittent sound of a ship's siren.

  Fiction book (1996)

• Intermittent heavy rain has been forecast here at Fuji today, along with strong winds and occasional fog rolling in from the mountain.

  Rush (2013)

• The city experienced intermittent heavy rain throughout the afternoon, causing some flooding.

• During the meeting, his intermittent laughter caught everyone's attention.

Synonyms

O

occasional

vsintermittent

257 2.8

Happening now and then but not often

occurs at uneven intervals and often with unpredictable gaps

E

erratic

vsintermittent

82 6.1

Not regular or predictable and likely to change suddenly

relates to irregular timing but without the emphasis on sudden change

R

recurring

vsintermittent

75 3.3

Happens again and again over time

suggests repeated uneven timing rather than a clear periodic cycle

I

irregular

vsintermittent

42 3.5

Happening at no fixed times

occurs at uneven intervals and highlights repeated stopping and starting

C

continual

vsintermittent

39 3.5

Happening again and again with short breaks

implies more frequent returns rather than irregular, widely spaced intervals

S

sporadic

vsintermittent

34 7.0

Happening sometimes and in different places

is similar but more about repeated stopping and starting over time

R

recurrent

vsintermittent

14 4.7

Happening again and again, often at regular times

emphasizes uneven intervals and noncontinuous occurrence rather than periodic repetition

I

interrupted

vsintermittent

12 3.4

Happening with short pauses that stop and start again

stresses irregular timing and lack of steady occurrence rather than single stoppage

E

episodic

vsintermittent

3 7.1

Happening only sometimes and not regularly

highlights irregular timing between events rather than continuous occurrence

O

off-and-on

vsintermittent

3 3.8

Happening sometimes and stopping at other times

describes uneven occurrences with emphasis on gaps rather than casual frequency

N

nonpersistent

vsintermittent

1 6.0

Not lasting for a long time

focuses on timing gaps and repeated occurrence rather than short duration

A

aperiodic

vsintermittent

• Specialized

1 8.2

Does not happen at regular times or repeat a pattern

occurs at uneven intervals and focuses on noncontinuous timing

N

nonperiodic

vsintermittent

1 7.6

Happening at irregular times

occurs at uneven intervals but stresses break and restart rather than periodicity

N

noncontinuous

vsintermittent

5.8

Happening with breaks in time or place

highlights irregular timing and repeated pauses rather than mere noncontinuity

Antonyms

C

continuous

157 3.7

Without a break or gap, for example in a curve

Compounds

I

intermittent cramp

• Specialized

1 7.5

Painful muscle twitching that comes and goes, sometimes with seizures, from low calcium or vitamin D

I

intermittent claudication

• Specialized

1 9.9

Pain and cramp in leg muscles from poor blood flow that starts when you walk and stops when you rest

I

intermittent tetanus

• Specialized

8.4

A condition that causes repeated muscle cramps and twitching, often from low calcium or vitamin D

How Intermittent

sporadic

34 7.0

intermittent

36 6.5

occasional

257 2.8

continuous

157 3.7

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology