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

Winning Saturday’s 13-inning, 6½-hour-plus, rain-interrupted game took a lot for the Rays. —Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026

The power was only off for about three minutes, and service was not interrupted. —Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026

He was occasionally interrupted—and exasperated—by ice warnings from other ships. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026

Orbán’s announcement was the latest in a series of retaliatory measures Hungary has taken in response to interrupted Russian oil flows. —Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for interrupted

• uncorrupted
• corrupted
• disrupted
• erupted
• uninterrupted