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definitions

fitful

[ fit-fuhl ]
/ ˈfɪt fəl /
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adjective

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

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RELATED WORDS

periodic, spotty, desultory, intermittent, broken, capricious, catchy, changeable, disturbed, erratic, flickering, haphazard, hit-or-miss, impulsive, inconstant, interrupted, random, recurrent, restive, restless

Nearby words

  1. fitch, clyde,
  2. fitch, john,
  3. fitchburg,
  4. fitchet,
  5. fitchew,
  6. fitfully,
  7. fitly,
  8. fitment,
  9. fitna,
  10. fitness

Origin of fitful

First recorded in 1595–1605; fit2 + -ful
Related formsfit·ful·ly, adverbfit·ful·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fitful

British Dictionary definitions for fitful

fitful

/ (ˈfɪtfʊl) /

adjective

characterized by or occurring in irregular spellsfitful sleep
Derived Formsfitfully, 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
Word Origin and History for fitful

fitful

adj.

used once by Shakespeare ("Macbeth," 1605) in sense of "characterized by fits," then revived by Scott (1810) with a sense of "shifting, changing." From fit (n.2) + -ful. Related: Fitfully; fitfulness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper