as in sporadic
lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence
a night of fitful sleep did not leave me feeling well rested the next morning
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Recent Examples of fitful
When Leo Lewis O’Neil’s documentary, Slauson Rec, about the actor’s fitful attempt to host a theater workshop premiered at Cannes in 2025, audiences were uncomfortable bearing witness to LaBeouf’s rage.
—
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2026
Signs of fitful progress appear Despite increasingly authoritarian governments in many parts of Asia and the rest of the world, there are some encouraging signs.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Already, 10 times more water evaporates off Arizona’s arid landscape and fitful rivers.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Her daughter had fitful nights sleeping.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fitful
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2026
Signs of fitful progress appear Despite increasingly authoritarian governments in many parts of Asia and the rest of the world, there are some encouraging signs.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Already, 10 times more water evaporates off Arizona’s arid landscape and fitful rivers.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Her daughter had fitful nights sleeping.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fitful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fitful
Adjective
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Did Curry and Kristaps Porzingis magically turn into Magic and Worthy in their sporadic handful of minutes together this month?—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
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Spears was released from her 13-year conservatorship in 2021 and has largely kept a low profile since then, outside of some sporadic social media activity.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Journalists in the bubble get the pope’s speeches ahead of time and have occasional access to delegation members, as well as other information in real time from the Vatican spokesman.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Electric Bleu is French food caressed with California seasonality and the occasional pop of Aussie nostalgia.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Church officials say the sudden loss of funding could force the organization to end its operations tied to migrant children within three months.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Brace positions are a safety protocol that flight attendants follow in case of accidents and sudden emergencies.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Authorities said at the time she was taken into custody on March 4, by the California Highway Patrol on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs after officers stopped a BMW 430i reported for erratic, high-speed driving.—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The arrest marked yet another setback for Spears, whose erratic social media presence has drawn concern from fans in the wake of her conservatorship ending in 2021.—
Jeff Nelson,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fitful. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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