intermittently
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intermittently
Explanation
The adverb intermittently describes something that starts, then stops, then starts up again. If you studied intermittently last night, that means sometimes you studied but sometimes you took breaks to do other things. If something happens intermittently, it doesn’t happen all the time or in a steady flow, but goes in fits and starts. It might rain intermittently on Monday or your car might intermittently refuse to start. Make sure you spell intermittently with two “t”s. You can blame the Latin for that: intermittently evolved from the Latin root intermittĕre, which means “to cease.”
Vocabulary lists containing intermittently
Unbroken
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The Haunting of Hill House
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Kindred
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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.
The cap, which has been in place intermittently for the past five months, has already cost the company 250 million to 300 million euros.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
As the sprayer drives through a field, it intermittently sprays the weeds while passing over the crops.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The two countries are expected to continue to intervene "intermittently in a coordinated manner for some time", he added.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Other volunteers said that the families of detainees have been intermittently encouraged not to discuss conditions in the facility after visits to their family members.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
High above on the projected ceiling, the words Sacrifice, Commitment, Accord flash intermittently.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
