fitful

[fit-fuhl]

adjective

1. coming, appearing, acting, etc., in fits fit or by spells; recurring irregularly.

   Synonyms: haphazard, erratic, intermittent, sporadic

fitful

/ ˈfɪtfʊl /

adjective

1. characterized by or occurring in irregular spells

   fitful sleep

Other Word Forms

• fitfulness noun
• fitfully adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of fitful¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; fit ² + -ful

Example Sentences

Take the Los Angeles Dodgers and the team’s fitful response to the immigration raids terrorizing large swaths of its fan base.

From Los Angeles Times

We dressed for the day, then returned to bed for a couple of hours of fitful sleep, ready to go when we needed to.

From Los Angeles Times

We dressed for the day, then returned to bed for a couple hours of fitful sleep, ready to go when we needed to.

From Los Angeles Times

A dry wind was already stirring when the sun rose over Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, fitful gusts whipping palm fronds seaward and making eucalyptus limbs creek and groan.

From Los Angeles Times

But over the years, occasional and fitful progress was halted by bouts of bloodletting that reached a brutal apogee a generation later, when Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis on Oct.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• desultory 
• intermittent 
• periodic 
• spotty