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fitful

[ fit-fuhl ]

/ ˈfɪt fəl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR fitful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

coming, appearing, acting, etc., in fits or by spells; recurring irregularly.

Origin of fitful

First recorded in 1595–1605; fit² + -ful

SYNONYMS FOR fitful

sporadic, intermittent, erratic, haphazard.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR fitful ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM fitful

fit·ful·ly, adverb fit·ful·ness, noun

Words nearby fitful

fit to kill, fit up, fitch, fitchburg, fitchew, fitful, fitly, fitment, fitna, fitness, fitness tracker

Example sentences from the Web for fitful

There have been fitful mutterings about Catalonia, the region of Spain where Barcelona is, seceding from Spain.

Homage to Catalonia |Megan McArdle |December 19, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
So squandering away decades of a sterling credit rating over a “contentious and fitful process” will seem petty.

Downgraded For Bad Behavior |John Solomon |August 6, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
He made some fitful attempts to calm down a bit, filling modest, collage-like monochromatic surfaces with angular shapes.

Death of a Modernist Master |Simon Schama |July 6, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
The stress, compounded by fitful rest and sleepless nights, ages you quickly.

Trust Me, Dominique, Don't Run |Mansfield Frazier |May 18, 2011 |DAILY BEAST

Hossein breathed heavily as he fell in and out of a fitful sleep.

When Everything Changed |Gayle Tzemach Lemmon |March 11, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
I have lived in a spiritual shadowland, dreaming elusive dreams, my better part stayed by the fitful vision of things unseen.

The Belovd Vagabond |William J. Locke
She is a very remarkable musician, that you know, and yet her talent is fitful.

The Tyranny of the Dark |Hamlin Garland
Just as the pale dawn was drawing the things about them into sight, the fitful barking of dogs came near again, and stopped.

Tales of Space and Time |Herbert George Wells
So the fitful calms and Elizabeth's love had not cured Frederick Brent's heart of its one eating disease, the desire for freedom.

The Uncalled |Paul Laurence Dunbar
Still pondering the problem, I did fall at last into a fitful travesty of sleep.

Astounding Stories of Super-Science July 1930 |Various

British Dictionary definitions for fitful

fitful

/ (ˈfɪtfʊl) /

adjective

characterized by or occurring in irregular spells fitful sleep

Derived forms of fitful

fitfully, adverb fitfulness, noun