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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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
Her power would return at 4 a.m., ending the fitful night.
—Richard Ruelas, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2024
By Jack Flemming , Summer Lin, Hannah Fry and Ian James
Jan. 8, 2025 3 PM PT
A dry wind was already stirring when the sun rose over Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, fitful gusts whipping palm fronds seaward and making eucalyptus limbs creek and groan.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 8 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
See All Example Sentences for fitful
Marie Bladt, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2025
Her power would return at 4 a.m., ending the fitful night.
—Richard Ruelas, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2024
By Jack Flemming , Summer Lin, Hannah Fry and Ian James
Jan. 8, 2025 3 PM PT
A dry wind was already stirring when the sun rose over Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, fitful gusts whipping palm fronds seaward and making eucalyptus limbs creek and groan.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 8 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
See All Example Sentences for fitful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fitful
Adjective
-
During her active years with WWE, which spanned from 2006 to her initial departure in 2012 and included subsequent sporadic returns for special appearances, Kelly Kelly achieved a significant milestone by capturing the WWE Divas Championship.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
-
These societies could survive without the sporadic acquisition of meat, anthropologists note.—
Amanda Ruggeri,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And non-alcohol drinks are available from The New Bar, known for its zero-proof cocktails, beers, wines, and the occasional fancy soda.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Initially, MacGregor's character was supposed to make only occasional appearances, but she was promoted to series regular after her performance was so well-received.—
Alexandra Schonfeld,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Biohacking is a fancy term for lifestyle modifications that include cutting down on alcohol or coffee, incorporating intermittent fasting and strapping on devices that monitor body functions.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Over the course of a year, people in the intermittent fasting group lost nearly 17 pounds—about 60% more than those who were asked to trim back their daily calories by one-third, according to the study.—
Dr. Alice Gao,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The fraught legal battle is also taking place amid a sudden round of visa revocations among international students at some of the country’s top universities, with college officials left unprepared and searching for answers from the government.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2025
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Similar to his advice on Caterpillar, Cramer has in recent days been recommending investors not making any sudden movements with their portfolios because there’s so much uncertainty.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
So there’s always these really erratic twists and turns.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
4 Apr. 2025
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Lawsuits and interviews The Times conducted with nearly a dozen individuals with knowledge of the academy provide a fresh glimpse into the extraordinary dysfunction inside Donda and the erratic behavior of its controversial founder.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fitful. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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