intermittent
adjective
in·ter·mit·tent
ˌin-tər-ˈmi-tᵊnt 
1
: coming and going at intervals : not continuous
intermittent rain
2
of a stream or body of water
: appearing and disappearing seasonally : sometimes dry
intermittently
adverb
raining intermittently
Synonyms
Examples of intermittent in a Sentence
In the intermittent light he could make out the shape of a solitary oak tree, spreading great arms from its short tremendous trunk.
—
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising, (1973) 1999
Decades of intermittent but recurring controversies with imperial authorities, and the lodestar of the glorious Revolution, disposed Americans to continue to believe that representation existed, first and foremost, to protect the rights of their communities against the abuse of executive power.
—Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings, 1996
Bronchodilators continue to play an important role in asthma treatment, especially for people who have relatively mild or intermittent attacks.
—Stephen Hoffmann, Harvard Medical School Health Letter, June 1991
The patient was having intermittent pains in his side.
The forecast is for intermittent rain.
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising, (1973) 1999
Decades of intermittent but recurring controversies with imperial authorities, and the lodestar of the glorious Revolution, disposed Americans to continue to believe that representation existed, first and foremost, to protect the rights of their communities against the abuse of executive power.
—Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings, 1996
Bronchodilators continue to play an important role in asthma treatment, especially for people who have relatively mild or intermittent attacks.
—Stephen Hoffmann, Harvard Medical School Health Letter, June 1991
The patient was having intermittent pains in his side.
The forecast is for intermittent rain.
Recent Examples on the Web
Such moments of creative exhilaration were intermittent adornments of a diffuse slog.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2025
Situated only a hefty clearance from the Manchester Ship Canal, the ground, complete with a two-storey clubhouse, 250-seat stand and even a commentators’ box, has since had intermittent use from various Sunday League sides and most recently an under-18s team managed by YouTuber ‘Angry Ginge’.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
This practice is a form of intermittent fasting called front-end intermittent fasting, where most of your calories are consumed during daylight or at the beginning of your day, tapering off toward bedtime.
—Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2025
Our own engineering analysis shows that for a closed system, with no imports/exports, the cost to maintain reliability with intermittent generation escalates exponentially beyond 25-30% penetration (by energy).
—Alex Pavlak, Baltimore Sun, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for intermittent 
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Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2025
Situated only a hefty clearance from the Manchester Ship Canal, the ground, complete with a two-storey clubhouse, 250-seat stand and even a commentators’ box, has since had intermittent use from various Sunday League sides and most recently an under-18s team managed by YouTuber ‘Angry Ginge’.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
This practice is a form of intermittent fasting called front-end intermittent fasting, where most of your calories are consumed during daylight or at the beginning of your day, tapering off toward bedtime.
—Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2025
Our own engineering analysis shows that for a closed system, with no imports/exports, the cost to maintain reliability with intermittent generation escalates exponentially beyond 25-30% penetration (by energy).
—Alex Pavlak, Baltimore Sun, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for intermittent
Dictionary Entries Near intermittent
Cite this Entry
“Intermittent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intermittent. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
intermittent
adjective
in·ter·mit·tent
ˌint-ər-ˈmit-ᵊnt
: starting, stopping, and starting again
an intermittent fever
intermittently
adverb
Medical Definition
intermittent
adjective
in·ter·mit·tent
ˌint-ər-ˈmit-ᵊnt
: coming and going at intervals : not continuous
intermittent fever
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