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
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There were sporadic injuries reported as well as some arrests and property damage.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
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Flowers nearly cover the plant in spring, followed by sporadic blooms throughout the season.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
16 May 2026
Adjective
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According to Costigan and McIntyre, one 4-hour USB-charge should be good for seven to eight hours of runtime in high-intensity intermittent mode, or approximately 14 hours in the lowest-intensity steady output mode.—
Ben Coxworth
May 15,
New Atlas,
15 May 2026
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But 2026 has marked a new nadir for one of the world’s oldest civilizations, with the government’s massacre of anti-regime protestors in January and widespread destruction from the United States’ and Israel’s intermittent war.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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The concentrated schedule created a sense of occasion and urgency that is diluted when games are spread across Thursdays, occasional Wednesdays, Friday holidays, Saturday nights, Sunday mornings and multiple streaming-exclusive windows.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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This is a play that takes young people and their problems seriously, while incorporating occasional humor into the script and direction.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Lake Baikal, often described as an inland sea because of its enormous size, is notorious for sudden storms and icy conditions even during tourist season, according to National Geographic.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
20 May 2026
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About 50,000 Americans experience sudden retinal detachment each year, requiring urgent surgery to avoid permanent vision loss.—
Peter Ubel,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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The incidents involving contact with chains, trailer hitches, poles, and curbs indicate recurring limitations in detecting smaller or irregular obstacles, especially during reversing maneuvers.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
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The more familiar symptoms came too — night sweats and irregular periods — but Watts says doctors were slow to connect the dots.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discontinuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discontinuous. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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