as in sporadic
lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence
a night of fitful sleep did not leave me feeling well rested the next morning
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Recent Examples of fitful
Her power would return at 4 a.m., ending the fitful night.
—
Richard Ruelas, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2024
By Jack Flemming , Summer Lin, Hannah Fry and Ian James
Jan. 8, 2025 3 PM PT
A dry wind was already stirring when the sun rose over Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, fitful gusts whipping palm fronds seaward and making eucalyptus limbs creek and groan.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Pyongyang began taking fitful steps toward a nuclear weapon during the Cold War, tested its first bomb in 2006, and today regularly issues nuclear threats against its southern neighbor.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2024
Rage, grievance, and fitful dreams of an American autocracy won.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fitful
Richard Ruelas, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2024
By Jack Flemming , Summer Lin, Hannah Fry and Ian James
Jan. 8, 2025 3 PM PT
A dry wind was already stirring when the sun rose over Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, fitful gusts whipping palm fronds seaward and making eucalyptus limbs creek and groan.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Pyongyang began taking fitful steps toward a nuclear weapon during the Cold War, tested its first bomb in 2006, and today regularly issues nuclear threats against its southern neighbor.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2024
Rage, grievance, and fitful dreams of an American autocracy won.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fitful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fitful
Adjective
-
It’s been pretty sporadic and erratic with a bunch of them.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
-
In its initial phase, between 1990 and 2005, pirate attacks were sporadic and contained mostly in the Gulf of Aden.—
Soham Mitra, Lou Robinson and Patrick Gallagher,
CNN,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
When do most of us wear gowns outside of the occasional black tie wedding?—
Sarah Boyd,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
-
According to Vasudevan, short-haired breeds typically need brushing once a week and occasional baths, while medium to long-haired breeds, like the golden retriever in the clip, may need brushing a few times a week to prevent tangles.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
And while some similarly reparative serums require some downtime or intermittent usage, this can be applied mindlessly.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
7 Mar. 2025
-
After the know-nothing county board opts to raze the baseball diamond to make way for a school, the teams meet for one final game at their beloved Soldier’s Field, with girlfriends, kids, and local hooligans as intermittent spectators.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Escaping a sudden, massive flood, a smart, mischievous black cat clambers aboard a boat shared by a dog, a capybara, and a lemur, as well as a long-legged secretary bird.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
2 Mar. 2025
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With a career in music that spanned the late ’70s through her sudden passing, Stone topped both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Adult R&B Airplay charts and was nominated for three Grammy Awards.—
Ashley Iasimone,
Billboard,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Deepfake films, for example, frequently feature odd blinking patterns, erratic lighting and inconsistent facial expressions.—
Rohan Pinto,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
His career arc was atypically jagged and erratic for a pop singer, starting at an unnaturally young age and continuing for decades, but rarely for more than a hit song at a time, and often with many fallow years coming in between them.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fitful. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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