intermittently

[in-ter-mit-nt-lee]

adverb

1. at occasional or uneven intervals.

   This species of flounder spawns mainly during the summer and early fall, but may spawn intermittently throughout the year.

   In this parched landscape, water flows intermittently, with lakes and streams forming in the wet season and disappearing in the dry season.

Other Word Forms

• nonintermittently adverb
• unintermittently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of intermittently¹

intermittent ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

She’s been intermittently grunting and struggling against the ropes.

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At a recent Oval Office event, he appeared to fall asleep intermittently for almost 20 minutes until a guest passed out and hit the floor.

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The internet appeared to be coming back intermittently, with graphic images reportedly from the protests being shared widely across social media.

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Neither of ABT’s two hardworking casts, with leading couples framed by male and female ensembles, made their dramatically opaque and intermittently acrobatic work look more than thankless.

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Dekoda captures images throughout the session—up to five minutes long—shining bright lights intermittently into the bowl.

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Related Words

• occasionally 
• periodically 
• sporadically