as in intermittently
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Recent Examples of fitfully
Martin Filler The Met’s new Tristan und Isolde was a vocal triumph for Lise Davidsen and Michael Spyres, but Yuval Sharon’s staging only fitfully captured the essence of Wagner’s masterpiece.
—
The New York Review of Books,
23 May 2026
That’s Duncan’s dilemma from the very beginning of this fitfully hilarious episode of The Audacity.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
19 Apr. 2026
The filmmaker shows a strong handle over the film’s fanciful tone and fitfully filthy sense of humor, and he’s credited with composing the film’s score full of squawking brass instruments and skittish strings in addition to writing, directing and editing.
—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama.
—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
While many talk shows began as fitfully amusing discussions around relevant issues, some soon devolved into sordid and exploitative freak shows that encouraged verbal and physical altercations.
—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
The city has been fitfully pursuing plans to renovate the stadium, widely regarded as an architectural and engineering marvel, since the administration of Mayor Tomás Regalado, who left office in 2017.
—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Now that the bill of losing with no end in sight has come due, the club’s latest rebuilding era has arrived fitfully and — despite Rutherford’s suggestion on Wednesday that the club has been preparing for this moment for two or three years — it’s arrived largely unplanned for.
—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
The orchestra seemed only fitfully engaged with Dudamel’s direction—a warning sign amid hoopla.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
The New York Review of Books,
23 May 2026
That’s Duncan’s dilemma from the very beginning of this fitfully hilarious episode of The Audacity.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
19 Apr. 2026
The filmmaker shows a strong handle over the film’s fanciful tone and fitfully filthy sense of humor, and he’s credited with composing the film’s score full of squawking brass instruments and skittish strings in addition to writing, directing and editing.
—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama.
—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
While many talk shows began as fitfully amusing discussions around relevant issues, some soon devolved into sordid and exploitative freak shows that encouraged verbal and physical altercations.
—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
The city has been fitfully pursuing plans to renovate the stadium, widely regarded as an architectural and engineering marvel, since the administration of Mayor Tomás Regalado, who left office in 2017.
—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Now that the bill of losing with no end in sight has come due, the club’s latest rebuilding era has arrived fitfully and — despite Rutherford’s suggestion on Wednesday that the club has been preparing for this moment for two or three years — it’s arrived largely unplanned for.
—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
The orchestra seemed only fitfully engaged with Dudamel’s direction—a warning sign amid hoopla.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fitfully
Adverb
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Roosevelt lived and ranched in North Dakota intermittently for about two years after the deaths of his wife and mother on the same day in 1884.
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Rosana Rodriguez, 33rd, whose office is in contact with Martinez-Sifontes’ family, said Albany Park has recently seen fewer ICE encounters than during earlier phases of Operation Midway Blitz, but said enforcement activity still surfaces intermittently.
Adverb
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When alerts start to fluctuate unpredictably or systems require constant recalibration, teams often lose trust quickly.
-
Although flu seasons can vary in disease severity, the virus mutates so unpredictably that pandemic flu seasons – like those in 1918, 1957, 1968 and 2009 – are a recurring possibility.
Adverb
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The game ran poorly, crashed regularly, looked unremarkable, and drove disjointedly.
Adverb
-
Psychologists Elaine Hatfield, John Cacioppo and Richard Rapson described a process called emotional contagion, in which emotional states are unconsciously transmitted between people.
-
When ear met in 2024 at transfer student orientation at Bard, both were emerging from their own antisocial caves, unconsciously looking for their other half.
Cite this Entry
“Fitfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fitfully. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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