as in intermittently
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for spottily
Adverb
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Emergency alert sirens blared intermittently across the country on Saturday, and a state of emergency was announced by Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026 -
Once that occurred, the fact that the court still intermittently ruled against Orbán counted for little.—
David Pozen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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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
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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
Adverb
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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
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In a world where markets can swing unpredictably, that certainty carries weight.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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The margins between top teams have shrunk, intangibles such as fit, culture and identity are more impactful than ever and the number of teams that can aspire to win a national championship seems to have expanded, fortuitously, along with the CFP.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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The following week – fortuitously a bye week for the Knights – Curtis had his first chemo treatment at the Mayo Clinic.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
15 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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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
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Any direct influence probably came out unconsciously.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Tourette’s activist John Davidson, who inadvertently shouted the N-word during the BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday night, has released a statement after widespread backlash.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
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Aaron Peskin, a former San Francisco supervisor and outspoken progressive, said a law Wiener wrote inadvertently stifled local housing and affordability efforts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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While Levin and his organization may have unwittingly become part of the story, his advice to continue using TMZ as a conduit for communication with authorities further centered the media’s role — not just in reporting the case, but directly influencing law enforcement’s investigation.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
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What emerges is a portrait of Interlochen as an institution that celebrated openness, but that in accepting Epstein's financial support became unwittingly associated with his crimes.—
Ava Berger,
NPR,
19 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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But, as well-meaning people sometimes do, the nanny managed to unintentionally give Sarah one more round of hell.—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
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Iran’s regime and its terrorism multipliers, Hamas and Hezbollah, have unintentionally magnified Israel’s security.—
George F. Will,
Washington Post,
1 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Spottily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spottily. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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