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
When reinforced with discontinuous fibers, vitrimers, a class of plastic, can be reshaped repeatedly, crushed, and molded into new forms many times without their chemical structure degrading.
—
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2025
Increased spotting potential east of the PCT exists, however, these spots have low potential for spread due to sparse, discontinuous vegetation or they can be accessed and suppressed by firefighting resources.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 12 July 2025
Spread in thin, discontinuous bands across a few miles of terrain, the ancient material is a challenge to identify and even harder to access.
—Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2025
The city of almost 52,000, carved into discontinuous clumps by unincorporated land, straddles the Denton-Collin county line.
▪ Anna, also in Collin, is a 30 minute drive east of Celina.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for discontinuous
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2025
Increased spotting potential east of the PCT exists, however, these spots have low potential for spread due to sparse, discontinuous vegetation or they can be accessed and suppressed by firefighting resources.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 12 July 2025
Spread in thin, discontinuous bands across a few miles of terrain, the ancient material is a challenge to identify and even harder to access.
—Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2025
The city of almost 52,000, carved into discontinuous clumps by unincorporated land, straddles the Denton-Collin county line.
▪ Anna, also in Collin, is a 30 minute drive east of Celina.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for discontinuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discontinuous
Adjective
-
After a sporadic and drawn-out campaign of vague teasers for a new album called Iceman, the rarely understated rapper unveiled a stack of frozen bricks at 81 Bond Street yesterday (April 20), promising that the release date is hidden inside.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
21 Apr. 2026
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There are also sporadic blooms throughout the summer months.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Team Pritzker lauds last year’s amendments to CEJA, which included a new surcharge on electric bills to support the construction of batteries that can store power from intermittent sources like wind and solar and deploy the juice when later needed.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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Since their fourth album, 2013’s Tomorrow’s Harvest, intermittent signs of life have appeared in the form of seemingly random remixes, archival reissues, and an NTS DJ mix.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Shopping, dining, and entertainment are on tap at the village-like Shops at Kukuiʻula, where residents will find boutiques with upscale global brands as well as island designers, fine dining restaurants and casual eateries, weekly farmers markets, and occasional live music.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
23 Apr. 2026
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All that tinkering did not yield clean sheets; nor did the occasional switches to a back five, against Arsenal in the League Cup, Wrexham in the FA Cup and at Brighton in the league.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The sudden departure comes just a day after Phelan addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals at the Navy’s annual conference in Washington, and spoke with reporters about his agenda.—
Konstantin Toropin,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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Now, however, a study published today in Nature is challenging this sedate view, suggesting instead that the solar system’s first solids stormed into being much faster from sudden temperature shifts in the disk’s turbulent maelstrom.—
Javier Barbuzano,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Here, they’re gently smashed in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin into irregular pieces.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 Apr. 2026
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Into that vacuum stepped irregular armed groups, criminal organizations and military units that began controlling extraction sites and local populations.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discontinuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discontinuous. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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