as in sporadic
lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence
a night of fitful sleep did not leave me feeling well rested the next morning
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fitful
Some of those effects include— Chronic fatigue and sleep disorders, including difficulty falling asleep, fitful sleep, poor sleep quality.
—
Marie Bladt, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2025
Pyongyang began taking fitful steps toward a nuclear weapon during the Cold War, tested its first bomb in 2006, and today regularly issues nuclear threats against its southern neighbor.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2024
The window was usually propped open, and, when the music was off, the buzz of distant traffic and a fitful breeze entered.
—Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
Walkers never have to lug their own suitcases or spend a fitful night on the cold, hard ground.
—Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fitful
Marie Bladt, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2025
Pyongyang began taking fitful steps toward a nuclear weapon during the Cold War, tested its first bomb in 2006, and today regularly issues nuclear threats against its southern neighbor.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2024
The window was usually propped open, and, when the music was off, the buzz of distant traffic and a fitful breeze entered.
—Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
Walkers never have to lug their own suitcases or spend a fitful night on the cold, hard ground.
—Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fitful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fitful
Adjective
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But the absence of The Rock—the catalyst of this entire turn—throughout the entire build of WrestleMania, mixed with the sporadic appearances from Cena, hurt the storytelling of what could have been a deeply complex villain.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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Justin Turner has been among those helping Workman navigate his first experience with life in the big leagues and sporadic playing time.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The house that the Americans strategically position themselves in is home to two families; there are occasional insert shots of family photos and trinkets, and at several points these families are shown cowering, terrified by what’s happening around them.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2025
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In general, bigleaf hydrangeas require little pruning, save for occasional shaping and thinning.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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During intermittent periods for minutes at a time, the NYPD and MTAPD strategically closed certain doors temporarily out of the hundreds of doors throughout the terminal to prevent additional demonstrators from entering.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Invisible geckos belt out intermittent clicks from the foliage, as brown pelicans sweep lazily across the sky, patrolling the shoreline for their daily fill.—
Ashlee Marie Preston,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Several conditions may cause sudden vision loss, such as an eye injury.—
Heidi Cope,
Health,
19 Apr. 2025
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All of a sudden, something that was a huge source of joy in my grandparents’ life became a challenge.—
Katie Akin,
Southern Living,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The cuts would devastate weather and climate research as weather is becoming more erratic, extreme and costly.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
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Wall Street has been in an erratic yo-yo pattern since Donald Trump announced, held off, implemented, augmented, and paused worldwide tariffs.—
Lieke ten Brummelhuis,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fitful. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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