as in intermittently
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Recent Examples of fitfully
Martin Filler The Met’s new Tristan und Isolde was a vocal triumph for Lise Davidsen and Michael Spyres, but Yuval Sharon’s staging only fitfully captured the essence of Wagner’s masterpiece.
—
The New York Review of Books, 23 May 2026
That’s Duncan’s dilemma from the very beginning of this fitfully hilarious episode of The Audacity.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2026
The filmmaker shows a strong handle over the film’s fanciful tone and fitfully filthy sense of humor, and he’s credited with composing the film’s score full of squawking brass instruments and skittish strings in addition to writing, directing and editing.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026
Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
While many talk shows began as fitfully amusing discussions around relevant issues, some soon devolved into sordid and exploitative freak shows that encouraged verbal and physical altercations.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
The city has been fitfully pursuing plans to renovate the stadium, widely regarded as an architectural and engineering marvel, since the administration of Mayor Tomás Regalado, who left office in 2017.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Now that the bill of losing with no end in sight has come due, the club’s latest rebuilding era has arrived fitfully and — despite Rutherford’s suggestion on Wednesday that the club has been preparing for this moment for two or three years — it’s arrived largely unplanned for.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
The orchestra seemed only fitfully engaged with Dudamel’s direction—a warning sign amid hoopla.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
The New York Review of Books, 23 May 2026
That’s Duncan’s dilemma from the very beginning of this fitfully hilarious episode of The Audacity.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2026
The filmmaker shows a strong handle over the film’s fanciful tone and fitfully filthy sense of humor, and he’s credited with composing the film’s score full of squawking brass instruments and skittish strings in addition to writing, directing and editing.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026
Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
While many talk shows began as fitfully amusing discussions around relevant issues, some soon devolved into sordid and exploitative freak shows that encouraged verbal and physical altercations.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
The city has been fitfully pursuing plans to renovate the stadium, widely regarded as an architectural and engineering marvel, since the administration of Mayor Tomás Regalado, who left office in 2017.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Now that the bill of losing with no end in sight has come due, the club’s latest rebuilding era has arrived fitfully and — despite Rutherford’s suggestion on Wednesday that the club has been preparing for this moment for two or three years — it’s arrived largely unplanned for.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
The orchestra seemed only fitfully engaged with Dudamel’s direction—a warning sign amid hoopla.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fitfully
Adverb
-
If a number is misrouted, unreachable or intermittently dropping, the project might be technically closed while the business is fully exposed.—
Liam Dunne,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Where the impact was expected to be heaver was in the Sierra Nevada, where rain and snow showers were expected intermittently through Thursday night.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Adverb
-
However, smoother surfaces can make airflow less stable, causing the ball to wobble, dip, or change direction unpredictably.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 June 2026
-
Others described disciplinary processes that escalated quickly and unpredictably, often tied to subjective assessments of behavior rather than remediable clinical skills.—
Vanessa Grubbs,
STAT,
1 June 2026
Adverb
-
The game ran poorly, crashed regularly, looked unremarkable, and drove disjointedly.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Grip, weight, angle, fragility—humans process this unconsciously, perfected by evolution.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Thanks to them, generations of children unconsciously absorbed a little soul with their public television.—
Tribune News Service,
Boston Herald,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fitfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fitfully. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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