fitful
On and off
Fitful describes something that occurs in irregular bursts rather than steadily—stopping and starting, waxing and waning.
Sleep is often fitful: I managed only a few fitful hours before dawn.
Wind, rain, progress, and attention can all be fitful.
The word suggests frustration with inconsistency—you want continuity but get interruption instead.
Occurring irregularly, infrequently
- irregularDeviating from normal patterns
- interruptedBroken mid-course
- on-and-offOccurring at irregular intervals
- periodicOccurring at intervals
discontinuous · patchy · scattered · episodic · broken · fragmentary · infrequent · occasional
Cannot be anticipated
- variableProne to fluctuation
- unevenNot smooth or balanced
- fluctuatingShifting irregularly over time
- capriciousSubject to sudden changes
changeable · mercurial · volatile · inconsistent · irregular · unreliable · unsteady · wavering
sporadic
Occurring irregularly, infrequently
- irregularDeviating from normal patterns
- interruptedBroken mid-course
- on-and-offOccurring at irregular intervals
periodic · discontinuous · patchy · scattered · episodic · broken · fragmentary · infrequent · occasional · staccato
unpredictable
Cannot be anticipated
- variableProne to fluctuation
- unevenNot smooth or balanced
- fluctuatingShifting irregularly over time
capricious · changeable · mercurial · volatile · inconsistent · irregular · unreliable · unsteady · wavering · unstable
uneasy
Troubled, not calm
- disturbedEmotionally or mentally unsettled
- agitatedEmotionally disturbed, restless
- troubledExperiencing distress or anxiety
tossing · wakeful · unsettled · broken · light · shallow · disrupted · fragmented · interrupted · restive
- infrequencyrarely, seldom, infrequent, infrequently, occasionally
- intermittentintermittent, sporadic, periodic, on-off, discontinuous
- unevenuneven, irregular, unequal, nonuniform, asymmetric
- disorderchaos, chaotic, disarray, mess, disordered
- stabilitystable, steady, firmness, unstable, equilibrium
- shaky thingsshaky, quivering, tremulous, shivering, quaking
fitfulcontinuous
Without pause or gap
constant · uninterrupted · steady · continual · unbroken
fitfulsteady
Fixed, not fluctuating
regular · consistent · stable · unwavering · predictable
- fitful sleepInterrupted, uneven rest