as in sporadic
lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence
the novel captures the discontinuous nature of a soldier's life: long stretches of boredom interrupted by flashes of action
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Recent Examples of discontinuous
The fossil record is discontinuous at the Atapuerca site and in Western Europe as a whole, indicating that there were likely long periods without human presence.
—
Evan Bush, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
As President-elect Trump approaches the second half of his discontinuous presidency, Americans seem cool to his signature economic proposal: steep new tariffs on America’s most important trading partners.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
About 19,000 people had to flee the city, which is in an area with discontinuous permafrost.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 10 Dec. 2024
Both Trump and Harris are tapping into a long, if discontinuous, tradition across America’s history of government investments working alongside private industry to spur innovation and economic development.
—Steven Tian, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for discontinuous
Evan Bush, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
As President-elect Trump approaches the second half of his discontinuous presidency, Americans seem cool to his signature economic proposal: steep new tariffs on America’s most important trading partners.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
About 19,000 people had to flee the city, which is in an area with discontinuous permafrost.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 10 Dec. 2024
Both Trump and Harris are tapping into a long, if discontinuous, tradition across America’s history of government investments working alongside private industry to spur innovation and economic development.
—Steven Tian, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for discontinuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discontinuous
Adjective
-
But the absence of The Rock—the catalyst of this entire turn—throughout the entire build of WrestleMania, mixed with the sporadic appearances from Cena, hurt the storytelling of what could have been a deeply complex villain.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Justin Turner has been among those helping Workman navigate his first experience with life in the big leagues and sporadic playing time.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The pair are searching for the source of a particular beep: the intermittent ping that a smoke alarm makes when its battery is running low.—
Kirk Johnson,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2025
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Based on the research, participants lost about 7 to 11 pounds over 10 weeks while intermittent fasting.18 Remember, fad diets are not healthy for you, especially long term.—
Sohaib Imtiaz,
Verywell Health,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The house that the Americans strategically position themselves in is home to two families; there are occasional insert shots of family photos and trinkets, and at several points these families are shown cowering, terrified by what’s happening around them.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2025
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Burnout goes beyond the occasional tough day at work.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Several conditions may cause sudden vision loss, such as an eye injury.—
Heidi Cope,
Health,
19 Apr. 2025
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All of a sudden, something that was a huge source of joy in my grandparents’ life became a challenge.—
Katie Akin,
Southern Living,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discontinuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discontinuous. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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