as in intermittently
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for spottily
Adverb
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While seated in the back of the cruiser, Woods is seen hiccupping and intermittently closing his eyes, at one point leaning back and keeping them shut for several seconds before facing forward again.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026 -
The Houthis effectively closed off container shipping in the Suez Canal for nearly two years by intermittently attacking ships in the Red Sea and its chokepoint, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, with missiles and drones.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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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
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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
Adverb
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Because this form of cancer can metastasize so quickly and unpredictably, the only surefire method of prevention is a complete removal of the stomach, or total gastrectomy.—
Sarah Zhang,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
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Wet, frozen branches can snap unpredictably when under pressure and jagged edges cut through lightweight work gloves.—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
15 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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The game ran poorly, crashed regularly, looked unremarkable, and drove disjointedly.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Sixty years ago, the home opener happened to fortuitously fall during spring break.—
Raymond Daniel Burke,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Mar. 2026
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Even those might be fortuitously timed, as the Thunder and Spurs will likely have nothing to play for other than potential awards quotas.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
18 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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In presenting the Best Actor winners, Adrien Brody perfectly, if perhaps unconsciously, echoed Johnson’s remarks from more than 50 years earlier.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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Screen or email apnea happens when someone unconsciously holds their breath or breathes more shallowly while looking at their screen to answer emails or texts, explained Dora Kamau, lead mindfulness and meditation teacher at Headspace.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
23 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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The tax, plus the bill’s disclosure requirements, would deter third parties from offering this funding and could inadvertently dox conservative activists and donors.—
George Harris,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
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Nicholas’s view There’s some precedent for the GOP inadvertently helping boost a California Democrat by going after him.—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Ryland then unwittingly finds himself on an interstellar mission that includes meeting an alien, Rocky.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
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Other than the cool trophies and the Diamondbacks trampling, the most notable show Thursday was unwittingly staged by Dodger Stadium itself.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Spottily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spottily. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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