as in intermittently
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 fitfully
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
Shamet was fitfully productive when played in meaningful spot minutes during the postseason for New York last year.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
This book is a stylish pastiche, as an unnamed woman fitfully reconstructs herself under the thumb of a strange man.
—Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
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
Shamet was fitfully productive when played in meaningful spot minutes during the postseason for New York last year.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
This book is a stylish pastiche, as an unnamed woman fitfully reconstructs herself under the thumb of a strange man.
—Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fitfully
Adverb
-
The bridge, which connects the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, has been closed intermittently throughout the week due to falling ice and weather conditions.—
Tanya Wildt,
Freep.com,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The union staff organized last spring and have been negotiating their first contract with management intermittently since September.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
And with the Epstein case unfolding unpredictably around the world, the Clintons are once again ensnared in the scandal of the moment.—
STEVEN SLOAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
26 Feb. 2026
-
In a world where markets can swing unpredictably, that certainty carries weight.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Screen or email apnea happens when someone unconsciously holds their breath or breathes more shallowly while looking at their screen to answer emails or texts, explained Dora Kamau, lead mindfulness and meditation teacher at Headspace.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Any direct influence probably came out unconsciously.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fitfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fitfully. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
