intermittent
adjective
in·ter·mit·tent ˌin-tər-ˈmi-tᵊnt 
1
: coming and going at intervals : not continuous
intermittent rain
also : occasional
intermittent trips abroad
2
of a stream or body of water : appearing and disappearing seasonally : sometimes dry
intermittently adverb
raining intermittently
Synonyms
- continual
- on-and-off
- periodic
- periodical
- recurrent
- recurring
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Showers should become more intermittent after 2 or 3 p.m. (except for Southern Maryland) as skies remain mostly cloudy. Molly Robey, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2022 The market action suggests traders were already bracing for increasingly intermittent gas supplies from Russia, and that high storage levels make a worst-case scenario, of government enforced rationing, less likely than feared in June. Joe Wallace, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 Chinese factories were shuttered again in late August, a frequent occurrence in a country that has imposed intermittent lockdowns to fight the coronavirus. Keith Bradsher, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2022 Elizabeth’s reign was marked by rocky periods of intermittent violence abroad, including Britain’s botched attempt to gain control of the Suez Canal in 1956 and the Falklands War, a ten-week-long battle with Argentina in 1982. Nora Mcgreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2022 All conversations with the Voyagers are faint, intermittent and slow. Sumeet Kulkarni, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2022 The multi-use trail is open, but will see intermittent closures for bridge work. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Sep. 2022 One of the most common intermittent fasting methods involves daily 16-hour fasts or fasting for 24 hours, twice per week. Chris Morris, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2022 Negotiations surrounding the visit are nearing completion following a crescendo of international alarm in response to near-daily chaos at the plant, which has included intermittent shelling. John Hudson, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Aug. 2022 See More
Molly Robey, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2022 The market action suggests traders were already bracing for increasingly intermittent gas supplies from Russia, and that high storage levels make a worst-case scenario, of government enforced rationing, less likely than feared in June. Joe Wallace, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 Chinese factories were shuttered again in late August, a frequent occurrence in a country that has imposed intermittent lockdowns to fight the coronavirus. Keith Bradsher, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2022 Elizabeth’s reign was marked by rocky periods of intermittent violence abroad, including Britain’s botched attempt to gain control of the Suez Canal in 1956 and the Falklands War, a ten-week-long battle with Argentina in 1982. Nora Mcgreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2022 All conversations with the Voyagers are faint, intermittent and slow. Sumeet Kulkarni, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2022 The multi-use trail is open, but will see intermittent closures for bridge work. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Sep. 2022 One of the most common intermittent fasting methods involves daily 16-hour fasts or fasting for 24 hours, twice per week. Chris Morris, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2022 Negotiations surrounding the visit are nearing completion following a crescendo of international alarm in response to near-daily chaos at the plant, which has included intermittent shelling. John Hudson, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin intermittent-, intermittens, present participle of intermittere — see intermit
First Known Use
1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
intermittent
adjective
in·ter·mit·tent ˌin-tər-ˈmi-tᵊnt
: starting, stopping, and starting again
intermittent rain
Medical Definition
intermittent
adjective
in·ter·mit·tent ˌint-ər-ˈmit-ᵊnt
: coming and going at intervals : not continuous
intermittent fever
intermittently
adverb
as in periodically
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- periodically
- occasionally
- sometimes
- recurrently
- infrequently
- sporadically
- rarely
- seldom
- irregularly
- off and on
- now
- little
- now and then
- variously
- here and there
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- frequently
- often
- regularly
- usually
- commonly
- routinely
- much
- consistently
- constantly
- ordinarily
- hourly
- oftentimes
- continuously
- oft
- always
- invariably
- continually
- incessantly
- perpetually
- ofttimes
- unceasingly
- endlessly
- uninterruptedly
- ever
- interminably
- continuingly