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
Now, 36 years later, this fitful odyssey of justice approaches its latest and most significant destination.
—
Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Beyond the results and the outcome, given what this team has dealt with and the noise and fitful transformation that was foisted upon the organization as a result of broken internal dynamics earlier this year, it’s been a welcome development to simply watch the Canucks compete as a team again.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
In the twentieth century, the Soviet Union viewed China—at least until the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s—as a poorer cousin, a country to be steered and helped along in its fitful progress toward respectability.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Aug. 2022
These factors occur against the backdrop of fitful wage growth and climbing inflation, with everyday prices for housing, energy and groceries bedeviling Americans.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fitful
Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Beyond the results and the outcome, given what this team has dealt with and the noise and fitful transformation that was foisted upon the organization as a result of broken internal dynamics earlier this year, it’s been a welcome development to simply watch the Canucks compete as a team again.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
In the twentieth century, the Soviet Union viewed China—at least until the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s—as a poorer cousin, a country to be steered and helped along in its fitful progress toward respectability.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Aug. 2022
These factors occur against the backdrop of fitful wage growth and climbing inflation, with everyday prices for housing, energy and groceries bedeviling Americans.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fitful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fitful
Adjective
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Coaches and players who had meticulously calibrated fitness programs for 2024 were forced into an extended holding pattern, trying to maintain sharpness through sporadic friendlies and local camps.—
Sindiswa Mabunda,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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However, with Brooks Lee, Kody Clemens and Lewis receiving the bulk of the playing time, at-bats became more sporadic for Bride, who only had eight hits in his last 58 at-bats for the Twins.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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The 32-year-old spent the last two seasons exclusively in the NHL after grinding his way through AHL seasons with the occasional call-up.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
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Disruption today is built-in—an ever-present reality, not just an occasional glitch.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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However, the available data indicates that for the past several months there has been a persistent presence of hydrogen sulfide, causing intermittent exposure to levels that some studies and environmental health experts suggest can cause respiratory complications.—
Tammy Murga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 July 2025
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Itasca received intermittent voice messages from Earhart as her signal increased.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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Her particular specialism is making sudden bursts towards the near post, staying in the defender’s blind spot before suddenly jumping ahead of her marker to turn home a simple chance, often laid on a plate at club level by Caroline Graham Hansen, with whom Pajor also worked well at Wolfsburg.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
30 June 2025
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Given the sudden burst of interest, agentic AI risks becoming something that’s all too common in business: a topic that everyone is talking about, but that few people actually understand.—
Tomas Gorny,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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China’s export growth has shown some resilience in recent months, even as the erratic U.S. tariff policies disrupted global trade.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
9 July 2025
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The plane made erratic maneuvers and several mayday calls before disappearing, the report said.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fitful. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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