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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fitful
The subway’s recovery from the pandemic has been fitful, a tale of stops and starts.
—
Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2025
Some of those effects include— Chronic fatigue and sleep disorders, including difficulty falling asleep, fitful sleep, poor sleep quality.
—Marie Bladt, Vogue, 22 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
The window was usually propped open, and, when the music was off, the buzz of distant traffic and a fitful breeze entered.
—Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fitful
Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2025
Some of those effects include— Chronic fatigue and sleep disorders, including difficulty falling asleep, fitful sleep, poor sleep quality.
—Marie Bladt, Vogue, 22 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
The window was usually propped open, and, when the music was off, the buzz of distant traffic and a fitful breeze entered.
—Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fitful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fitful
Adjective
-
Though the May 31 eruption is the only one caught on official video, the USGS has received several reports of other sporadic eruptions over the past year.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
1 June 2025
-
My spring crops were slow to develop this year, stifled by sporadic frosts and bouts of dry weather.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
Because geniuses tend not to specialize in things like picking up after themselves, the human price is often paid by a long-suffering partner-secretary—wifely figures like Véra Nabokov, Sophia Tolstoy, and Alice B. Toklas, or the occasional husband like Leonard Woolf.—
S. C. Cornell,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
-
But such readings can hardly account for the urgency, and occasional stridency, of le Carré’s post-Cold War novels.—
Rav Grewal-Kök
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
After intermittent closures last week, the intersection opened and the new signal system turned on Thursday.—
Kathryn Kovalenko,
Twin Cities,
6 June 2025
-
While the tech industry is also using solar and wind power, their intermittent nature means stable electricity supplies generated by nuclear reactors — but also coal and natural gas — is in high demand.—
Bloomberg News,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
Written in Latin, the coroners' rolls are records of sudden or suspicious deaths as investigated by a jury of local men, called together by the coroner to establish facts and reach a verdict.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
6 June 2025
-
After Earps’ announcement, Wiegman was asked what her long-time goalkeeper’s sudden international retirement two months before a major tournament said about the unity of the team.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
According to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, the team's complaint is due to erratic driving behind the safety car and not leaving an appropriate gap.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 June 2025
-
And some erratic vibrations were detected at points last week as the stark outperformance of year-to-date laggards over the top 2025 performers prompted some comparisons to the nasty momentum-stock reversal of February and March that upset the market well before the tariff panic.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
14 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fitful. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share