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
- intermittence noun
- intermittency noun
- intermittently adverb
- nonintermittence noun
- nonintermittent adjective
- nonintermittentness noun
- unintermittent adjective
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)”; 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
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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.
Since launching from Earth on Wednesday, the four astronauts aboard the Artemis II mission's Orion capsule have had some intermittent issues with their toilet.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
If you loved creating a whole personality around intermittent fasting, welcome: You’ve found your people.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Improved battery storage technology is also helping with the intermittent nature of solar and wind power.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
McKay explained that her established nursing provider had confirmed it could safely continue to meet her complex needs at home, including tracheostomy and intermittent ventilation care.
From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026
She was buried that Sunday, under cloudy skies and an intermittent drizzle.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
