intermittent
Americanadjective
-
stopping or ceasing for a time; alternately ceasing and beginning again.
an intermittent pain.
- Synonyms:
- sporadic, interrupted
-
alternately functioning and not functioning or alternately functioning properly and improperly.
-
(of streams, lakes, or springs) recurrent; showing water only part of the time.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intermittent
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin intermittent- (stem of intermittēns ), present participle of intermittere “to leave a space between, drop off (for a while)”; see intermit, -ent
Explanation
Reach for the adjective intermittent to describe periodic movement and stopping and starting over a period of time. The adjective intermittent modifies things that work or stop and start at periodic intervals. An interesting use of something intermittent is a metronome, a device that marks off time in music by making a sound in a regular pattern. It provides structure for musicians, especially when there are several instruments all playing different melodies at the same time. Other intermittent things are the windshield wipers on your car — and thank goodness for them when it rains!
Vocabulary lists containing intermittent
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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1984
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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.
Experts point to strategies companies use to encourage scrolling, like never-ending feeds, intermittent rewards and time-sensitive notifications.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Armenia, a mostly Christian nation, and majority-Muslim Azerbaijan have had intermittent clashes for more than 35 years, since before the collapse of the Soviet Union, of which both were member republics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
In the years since their fighters swept into Kabul on 15 August 2021, they've grown in confidence and consolidated control despite intermittent attacks by armed opposition groups based abroad, as well as Islamic State fighters.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
There is the intermittent purr of generators, dogs barking, and, from time to time, the dry clack of domino tiles echoing in the street.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
He, it seemed, had been an intermittent guest at Francis’s over the course of the past few years.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
