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
-
occurring occasionally or at regular or irregular intervals; periodic
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
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.
If you loved creating a whole personality around intermittent fasting, welcome: You’ve found your people.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
But even so, over the month-long war, these contacts have been sharing information through intermittent text messages and occasional voice calls.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Concerns about intermittent loading delays at key Gulf export terminals could also tighten near-term oil supply availability.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
Improved battery storage technology is also helping with the intermittent nature of solar and wind power.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
Were these small eruptions and intermittent earthquakes the whole of Mount St. Helens’s show?
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.