fitful

[ fit-fuhl ]

/ ˈfɪt fəl /

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See synonyms for: fitful / fitfully / fitfulness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

OTHER WORDS FOR fitful

sporadic, intermittent, erratic, haphazard.

See synonyms for fitful on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of fitful

First recorded in 1595–1605; fit² + -ful

OTHER WORDS FROM fitful

fit·ful·ly, adverbfit·ful·ness, noun

Words nearby fitful

fit, fit as a fiddle, fitch, Fitchburg, fitchew, fitful, fit in, fit like a glove, fitly, fitment, fitna

How to use fitful in a sentence

There have been fitful mutterings about Catalonia, the region of Spain where Barcelona is, seceding from Spain.
Homage to Catalonia|Megan McArdle|December 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
So squandering away decades of a sterling credit rating over a “contentious and fitful process” will seem petty.
Downgraded For Bad Behavior|John Solomon|August 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He made some fitful attempts to calm down a bit, filling modest, collage-like monochromatic surfaces with angular shapes.
Death of a Modernist Master|Simon Schama|July 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The stress, compounded by fitful rest and sleepless nights, ages you quickly.
Trust Me, Dominique, Don't Run|Mansfield Frazier|May 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Hossein breathed heavily as he fell in and out of a fitful sleep.
When Everything Changed|Gayle Tzemach Lemmon|March 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It was still raining—a gray day with fitful showers that never entirely ceased but only varied in intensity.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
Down below there are only fitful puffs now and then, telling of something else in store.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
In the fitful firelights gleam they could see three shadowy figures crossing the creek.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O|Clair Blank
In the soft wind the myrtle rustled faintly, and on the roses at our feet the dew-drops glinted in fitful splendor.
A Fortune Hunter; Or, The Old Stone Corral|John Dunloe Carteret
I hope he slept better than I did, for my own night was a series of fitful, restless tossings.
The Diary of Philip Westerly|Paul Compton

British Dictionary definitions for fitful

fitful

/ (ˈfɪtfʊl) /

adjective

characterized by or occurring in irregular spellsfitful sleep

Derived forms of fitful

fitfully, adverbfitfulness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fitful

OTHER WORDS FOR fitful

Origin of fitful

OTHER WORDS FROM fitful

Words nearby fitful

Words related to fitful

How to use fitful in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fitful

Derived forms of fitful