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
Plenty of research has compared the pros (and cons) of different diets, from keto and paleo to intermittent fasting, and their effect on weight loss.
—New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2024
Instead, consider requesting intermittent score announcements from the band to keep spirits high without taking any attention away from the dance floor.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2024
Today, nearly every utility is facing a huge influx of requests for intermittent clean energy projects to join the grid at a time when data centers are requiring around-the-clock firm power on a similar scale.
—Greg Robinson, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
To counter this pressure to be chronically online, Greenfield includes recordings from her intermittent cell phone-free roundtables, which provide young people in the docuseries with a safe and honest space to connect face-to-face.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for intermittent 
New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2024
Instead, consider requesting intermittent score announcements from the band to keep spirits high without taking any attention away from the dance floor.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2024
Today, nearly every utility is facing a huge influx of requests for intermittent clean energy projects to join the grid at a time when data centers are requiring around-the-clock firm power on a similar scale.
—Greg Robinson, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
To counter this pressure to be chronically online, Greenfield includes recordings from her intermittent cell phone-free roundtables, which provide young people in the docuseries with a safe and honest space to connect face-to-face.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for intermittent
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intermittent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near intermittent
Cite this Entry
“Intermittent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intermittent. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.
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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