interrupted

1 of 2

adjective

in·​ter·​rupt·​ed ˌin-tə-ˈrəp-təd 

1

: broken in upon : discontinuous

an interrupted stripe

interrupted service

an interrupted phone call

interrupted sleep

2

botany : not uniform : broken in arrangement or symmetry

… flowers whorled in interrupted clusters.

—Charles E. Turner

3

phonetics : consisting of or containing a stop in articulation

\k\ is an interrupted consonant

interruptedly adverb

… Jeanne's mother had been … schoolmate and good girlfriend to Maria Gostrey, who had moreover enjoyed since then, though interruptedly … , other glimpses of her.

—Henry James

interruptedness noun

"I am much obliged to you for giving me full notice," he said, with a firm intention in his tone, yet with an interruptedness in his delivery which showed that he spoke unwillingly.

—George Eliot

interrupted

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of interrupt entry 1

Examples of interrupted in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Their raids on crack houses in the Eighties and Nineties were legit, as were at least a few of their interrupted muggings. —Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025

Trump gives update on potential buyers Other members have protested without censure In other State of the Union speeches or joint addresses to Congress by the president, representatives have jeered or interrupted speeches, sometimes without consequence. —Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025

From a screaming child to chatty seatmates, keeping a pair of these comfortable earplugs in your bag is key to ensuring interrupted sleep. —Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2025

Dermatologists say that interrupted sleep can cause skin changes in multiple different ways, from next-day puffiness to faster development of lines and wrinkles over time. —Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for interrupted

• uncorrupted
• corrupted
• disrupted
• erupted
• uninterrupted