intermittent
in-ter-MIT-uhnt
/ˌɪntəˈmɪtənt/
Occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady.
Suggests a pattern of starting and stopping, like a flickering light or rain showers.
The story behind the word. Literally 'sending between.' It describes things that are 'sent' out with gaps in between them.
Word relationships
- periodic: 'Periodic' implies a regular, predictable schedule; 'intermittent' is often irregular.
- constant: 'Constant' means never stopping or changing.
Commonly confused with
- sporadic: 'Intermittent' implies a sequence that keeps returning; 'sporadic' implies things happening in scattered, isolated instances.
Word family
- intermittently (adverb): In an irregular manner.
Collocations
- intermittent fasting
- intermittent rain
- intermittent signal
Example sentences
- "The forecast predicts intermittent rain throughout the day, so bring an umbrella." Weather patterns.
- "The radio signal was intermittent, fading in and out as we drove through the mountains." A technical glitch.
Memory hook
Think of 'intermittent' fasting—you eat 'inter' (between) long gaps of not eating. On and off.
When not to use
Do not use for something that happens only once; it must happen multiple times.
Fun facts
- Intermittent windshield wipers were invented by Mary Anderson in 1903, though the modern automatic version was a subject of a famous patent lawsuit.
Explore more words
sporadic, occasional, periodic, infrequent, incessant, recurrent
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