fitful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fitful
Explanation
An adjective that sounds a little like what it means, fitful means stopping and starting, on-again off-again, switching suddenly. I had a fitful night's sleep: I woke up several times throughout the night. A fit is a disturbance that happens without warning, like a tantrum, tremor, or spasm. If something is fitful, it's "full of fits." A night at the opera is a night of fitful pleasures: the arias are cool, but the rest of the show is boring. I've made only fitful progress trying to lose weight, because I lose only a few pounds at a time, and they almost always come right back: my progress is fitful because it comes in "fits and starts."
Vocabulary lists containing fitful
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 12, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Fitful at the back, wasteful in possession, headless chickens in too many areas.
From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025
“The Fitful Sleep” began life 20 years ago as an intended memoir penned in exile.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2023
Fitful diplomatic talks between delegations from Ukraine and Russia are ongoing in search of a cease-fire deal.
From Washington Times • Mar. 22, 2022
Fitful regeneration efforts began around 15 years ago with major public projects funded by the ANC-run town hall, central government and overseas aid.
From The Guardian • Oct. 2, 2016
Fitful and unsettled as a cultivator of literature, he was in the business of life a model of regularity and perseverance.
From The Modern Scottish Minstrel, Volume II. The Songs of Scotland of the past half century by Rogers, Charles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
