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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discontinuous
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
Current law, however, is discontinuous.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
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 the pressure to decarbonize electricity grids mounts, so does the need to have long-term storage options for power generated from renewables—especially for sources like wind and solar, which have discontinuous availability.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for discontinuous
Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2025
Current law, however, is discontinuous.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
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 the pressure to decarbonize electricity grids mounts, so does the need to have long-term storage options for power generated from renewables—especially for sources like wind and solar, which have discontinuous availability.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for discontinuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discontinuous
Adjective
-
Because, well, our relationship was always so sporadic.—
Eric Andersson,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Despite sporadic staff shortages at air traffic control facilities across the country since the shutdown began, flight operations have been largely normal.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
These include electric vehicles with extended driving ranges, large-scale renewable energy storage systems that can balance intermittent solar and wind power, and lightweight, flexible power sources for portable and wearable electronics.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Countries also need to work on better connecting intermittent renewables — those which work only when the sun shines or the wind blows — with batteries that can store their energy.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
So Fernandez ended up scoring two goals and incessantly bothering the Charlotte FC players with his ball skills and occasional extracurricular activity.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Nov. 2025
-
As a durable and washable rug brand, Ruggable is one of our favorite destinations for outdoor rugs, kids rugs, and even the occasional doormat or entryway piece.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Excluding disasters, sudden surges of this magnitude in requests for food or any other need are rare at 211s, and can signal both public worry and need, as happened in the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Matthew W. Kreuter,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
If done suboptimally, deep plane facelifts can lead to complications such as muscle or nerve damage, infections, irregular hairlines, asymmetry and necrosis, among others.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The ovaries produce less estrogen and progesterone, and menstruation becomes irregular.—
Olivia Lee,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discontinuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discontinuous. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share