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• on-again, off-again
  on-again, off-again

  adjective

  being in force or inoperative by turns, especially spasmodically and unpredictably.
• off again, on again
  off again, on again

  see off and on, def. 2.

on-again, off-again

American  

[on-uh-gen awf-uh-gen, of-, awn-] / ˈɒn əˌgɛn ˈɔf əˌgɛn, ˈɒf-, ˈɔn- /

Or on-again-off-again

adjective

1. being in force or inoperative by turns, especially spasmodically and unpredictably.

   an on-again, off-again romance.

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off again, on again Idioms  

1. see off and on, def. 2.

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Etymology

Origin of on-again, off-again

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The new episodes will pick up from the season five cliffhanger, in which Emily's on-again, off-again romantic interest Gabriel - played by Bravo - sends her a postcard inviting her on a Greek getaway.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

The sale of Stokes’ property comes months after another very significant milestone in his life: the end of his on-again, off-again relationship with country music star Kelsea Ballerini.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

The public’s on-again, off-again interest kept Smart’s disappearance in the news sporadically, but a podcast called “Your Own Backyard,” begun in 2019 by Chris Lambert, shone a new spotlight on the cold case.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

Addis has been looking to its neighbor and on-again, off-again enemy, Eritrea, a small pariah state to the east with a relatively long Red Sea coastline.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

He has to be the only person in town who doesn’t know Jordie and Pamela have been on-again, off-again since second grade.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman