Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective fitful contrast with its synonyms?

The words convulsive and spasmodic are common synonyms of fitful. While all three words mean "lacking steadiness or regularity in movement," fitful implies intermittence, a succession of starts and stops or risings and fallings.

fitful sleep

Where would convulsive be a reasonable alternative to fitful?

Although the words convulsive and fitful have much in common, convulsive suggests the breaking of regularity or quiet by uncontrolled movement.

convulsive shocks

How do spasmodic and fitful relate to one another?

Spasmodic adds to fitful the implication of rapid or violent activity alternating with inactivity.

spasmodic growth

Examples 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 fitful Rage, grievance, and fitful dreams of an American autocracy won. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024 In July, Paramount Global reached a historic agreement for an $8 billion sale to David Ellison’s Skydance Media after almost a year of fitful negotiations. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024 The window was usually propped open, and, when the music was off, the buzz of distant traffic and a fitful breeze entered. Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024 Experimentation is generally a slow and fitful process. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 21 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fitful 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fitful
Adjective
  • Bird flu viruses typically don’t infect humans, aside from sporadic cases in people who have close contact with infected animals.
    Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Light, sporadic snow will continue in the Denver area through Sunday, forecasters said.
    Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Breathe Better Air pollution hides inside our homes, causing health effects ranging from the occasional sneeze to chronic respiratory issues.
    Anna Haines, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Now, some are beginning to ask for the occasional update on Steinfeld when the Bills play.
    Kellis Robinett, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Situated only a hefty clearance from the Manchester Ship Canal, the ground, complete with a two-storey clubhouse, 250-seat stand and even a commentators’ box, has since had intermittent use from various Sunday League sides and most recently an under-18s team managed by YouTuber ‘Angry Ginge’.
    Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Such moments of creative exhilaration were intermittent adornments of a diffuse slog.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But, an approach solely focused on sudden movements could lead to so many false triggers, users would likely find the option more annoying than beneficial—and that’s where machine learning, a segment of AI focused on pattern recognition, comes into play.
    Reece Rogers, WIRED, 25 Jan. 2025
  • The coastal city of Rancho Palos Verdes suffered sudden movement from a decades-old complex of slow-moving landslides last fall, twisting roads and putting multimillion-dollar homes on the brink of destruction.
    Karina Tsui, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Biden appeared unsteady, his responses erratic, his voice a hoarse whisper.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
  • The mountains can also make the winds more erratic because additional whirls of wind, known as wind eddies, can form as the air moves across the peaks and through the canyons.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near fitful

Cite this Entry

“Fitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fitful. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on fitful

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