fitfully

adverb

as in intermittently

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fitfully Martin Filler The Met’s new Tristan und Isolde was a vocal triumph for Lise Davidsen and Michael Spyres, but Yuval Sharon’s staging only fitfully captured the essence of Wagner’s masterpiece. — The New York Review of Books, 23 May 2026 That’s Duncan’s dilemma from the very beginning of this fitfully hilarious episode of The Audacity. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2026 The filmmaker shows a strong handle over the film’s fanciful tone and fitfully filthy sense of humor, and he’s credited with composing the film’s score full of squawking brass instruments and skittish strings in addition to writing, directing and editing. — Stephen Saito, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026 Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026 While many talk shows began as fitfully amusing discussions around relevant issues, some soon devolved into sordid and exploitative freak shows that encouraged verbal and physical altercations. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026 The city has been fitfully pursuing plans to renovate the stadium, widely regarded as an architectural and engineering marvel, since the administration of Mayor Tomás Regalado, who left office in 2017. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026 Now that the bill of losing with no end in sight has come due, the club’s latest rebuilding era has arrived fitfully and — despite Rutherford’s suggestion on Wednesday that the club has been preparing for this moment for two or three years — it’s arrived largely unplanned for. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026 The orchestra seemed only fitfully engaged with Dudamel’s direction—a warning sign amid hoopla. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fitfully
  1. intermittently
  2. unpredictably
  3. disjointedly
  4. unconsciously
Adverb
  • Swallows—the country's most beloved and recognizable birds—darted past intermittently, a subtle but very real reminder of our location on this special stretch of the Algarve.
    — Megan Wilkes, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Khat is typically chewed like tobacco, with individuals retaining it in the cheek and chewing intermittently to release the active drug, which then produces stimulant-like effects.
    — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of intermittently
Adverb
  • Youthful ambition bequeathed them unpredictably shifting time signatures, a daunting nylon-string intro, some odd musical shifts during the guitar-solo section, and a long list of other complexities.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Cloud spending, which grew unpredictably when the technology was new, can now be forecast using years of historical data.
    — Ameya Kanitkar, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of unpredictably
Adverb
  • The game ran poorly, crashed regularly, looked unremarkable, and drove disjointedly.
    — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of disjointedly
Adverb
  • But in reality, of course, this is just happening almost unconsciously.
    — Jinae West, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
  • His opinion will be better received, and people will unconsciously be giving his appearance green flags and listening without any distraction.
    — Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of unconsciously

Browse Nearby Words

fitful
fitfully
fit (in)
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Cite this Entry

“Fitfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fitfully. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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