fitful
1 fitful — fitful, spasmodic, convulsive are comparable when they mean lacking steadiness or regularity in course, movement, or succession (as of acts or efforts). Fitful stresses variability and intermittency; it implies an irregular succession… …
2 Fitful — Fit ful, a. [From 7th {Fit}.] Full of fits; irregularly variable; impulsive and unstable. [1913 Webster] After life s fitful fever, he sleeps well. Shak. {Fit ful*ly}, adv. {Fit ful*ness}, n. [1913 Webster] The victorious trumpet peal Dies… …
3 fitful — index broken (interrupted), disjunctive (tending to disjoin), disorderly, haphazard, inconsistent, intermittent, sporadic …
4 fitful — used once by Shakespeare ( Macbeth, 1605) in sense of characterized by fits, then revived by Scott (1810) with a sense of shifting, changing. From FIT (Cf. fit) (n.2) + FUL (Cf. ful). Related: Fitfully; fitfulness …
5 fitful — [adj] irregular, sporadic bits and pieces*, broken, capricious, catchy*, changeable, desultory, disturbed, erratic, flickering, fluctuating, haphazard, herky jerky*, hit or miss*, impulsive, inconstant, intermittent, interrupted, onagain off… …
6 fitful — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ active or occurring intermittently; not regular or steady. DERIVATIVES fitfully adverb fitfulness noun …
7 fitful — [fit′fəl] adj. [ FIT2 + FUL] characterized by irregular or intermittent activity, impulses, etc.; spasmodic; restless fitfully adv. fitfulness n …
8 fitful — adjective Date: 1592 1. obsolete characterized by fits or paroxysms 2. having an erratic or intermittent character ; irregular • fitfully adverb • fitfulness noun Synonyms: fitful, spasmodic …
9 fitful — [[t]fɪ̱tfʊl[/t]] ADJ Something that is fitful happens for irregular periods of time or occurs at irregular times, rather than being continuous. Colin drifted off into a fitful sleep... The government is making slow and fitful progress in these… …
10 fitful — fit|ful [ˈfıtfəl] adj not regular, and starting and stopping often ▪ John awoke from a fitful sleep . ▪ The peace talks only seem to be making fitful progress. >fitfully adv ▪ She slept fitfully …
11 fitful — adjective Irregular; unsteady; characterized by fits. His breathing was fitful …
12 fitful — adj. Fitful is used with these nouns: ↑night, ↑sleep …
13 fitful — fit|ful [ fıtfəl ] adjective starting and stopping often: fitful sleep ╾ fit|ful|ly adverb …
14 fitful — adjective happening irregularly for short periods of time: fitful showers of rain fitfully adverb : She slept fitfully …
15 fitful — adjective a fitful night s sleep Syn: intermittent, sporadic, spasmodic, broken, disturbed, disrupted, patchy, irregular, uneven, unsettled; informal herky jerky …
16 fitful — UK [ˈfɪtf(ə)l] / US [ˈfɪtfəl] adjective starting and stopping often fitful sleep Derived word: fitfully adverb …
17 fitful — [ˈfɪtf(ə)l] adj starting and stopping often fitful sleep[/ex] fitfully adv …
18 fitful — fit•ful [[t]ˈfɪt fəl[/t]] adj. having a spasmodic character; recurring irregularly: fitful sleep[/ex] • Etymology: 1595–1605 fit′ful•ly, adv. fit′ful•ness, n …
19 fitful — /ˈfɪtfəl / (say fitfuhl) adjective coming, appearing, acting, etc., in fits or by spells; irregularly intermittent: *hurricane lamps whose fitful orange gleamings made the atmosphere dimly satanic –sumner locke elliott, 1981. {fit2 + ful}… …
20 fitful — fitfully, adv. fitfulness, n. /fit feuhl/, adj. coming, appearing, acting, etc., in fits or by spells; recurring irregularly. [1595 1605; FIT2 + FUL] Syn. sporadic, intermittent, erratic, haphazard. * * * …
