fitful

[ fit-fuhl ]

/ ˈfɪt fəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fitful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

Nearby words

fit to kill, fit up, fitch, fitchburg, fitchew, fitful, fitly, fitment, fitna, fitness, fitness tracker

Origin of fitful

First recorded in 1595–1605; fit² + -ful

SYNONYMS FOR fitful

sporadic, intermittent, erratic, haphazard.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fitful ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

fit·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

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
I have lived in a spiritual shadowland, dreaming elusive dreams, my better part stayed by the fitful vision of things unseen.
The Belovd Vagabond|William J. Locke
She is a very remarkable musician, that you know, and yet her talent is fitful.
The Tyranny of the Dark|Hamlin Garland
Just as the pale dawn was drawing the things about them into sight, the fitful barking of dogs came near again, and stopped.
Tales of Space and Time|Herbert George Wells
So the fitful calms and Elizabeth's love had not cured Frederick Brent's heart of its one eating disease, the desire for freedom.
The Uncalled|Paul Laurence Dunbar
Still pondering the problem, I did fall at last into a fitful travesty of sleep.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science July 1930|Various

British Dictionary definitions for fitful

fitful

/ (ˈfɪtfʊl) /

adjective

characterized by or occurring in irregular spellsfitful sleep

Derived Forms

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