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

Philippine flags decorated the stands throughout Sunday’s rain-interrupted session and remained visible Monday, with the lower bowl filled for the resumption. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

Michael Thompson, the Plymouth Director of Public Works, told CBS News Minnesota his team first noticed there was a problem when communication between devices started to become interrupted on Sunday evening. — Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 31 July 2026

The interrupted surveillance wasn’t a problem for the Secret Service, however, as a tranche of documents filed in federal court this week by Comey’s lawyers show. — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 31 July 2026

So, my long runs happened mid-morning, in the afternoon, after hectic weekend mornings and nights of interrupted sleep. — Maureen Burke, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for interrupted

• uncorrupted
• corrupted
• disrupted
• erupted
• uninterrupted