intermittency
On-and-off pattern
Intermittency is the quality or state of being intermittent—stopping and starting at intervals rather than continuing steadily.
The term appears frequently in technical contexts, particularly in discussions of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power, where intermittency poses challenges for grid reliability.
It can also describe any phenomenon characterized by irregular occurrence or periodic interruption, from electrical signals to disease symptoms.
Occurring irregularly, infrequently
- occasionalHappening at intervals
- periodicOccurring at intervals
- episodicOccurring in distinct segments
- irregularDeviating from normal patterns
infrequent · scattered · patchy · on-and-off · fitful · spasmodic · discontinuous · broken
Break in continuity
- gapUnfilled space between
- breakInterrupt continuity
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- cessationA full stopping
stoppage · hiatus · outage · blackout · brownout · dropout · cutout · glitch
Tendency to change
- oscillationRepeated back-and-forth movement
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- pulsationRhythmic expansion and contraction
- undulationRhythmic rise and fall
ebb and flow · modulation · vacillation · waxing and waning · surge · dip · instability · inconsistency
State resisting forecasts
- erraticLacking regularity or consistency
- inconsistentLacking steady uniformity
- spottyIrregular and unreliable
- unsteadyLacking balance or stability
hit-or-miss · uncertain · volatile · capricious · random · haphazard · uneven · unreliable
sporadic
Occurring irregularly, infrequently
- occasionalHappening at intervals
- periodicOccurring at intervals
- episodicOccurring in distinct segments
irregular · infrequent · scattered · patchy · on-and-off · fitful · spasmodic · discontinuous · broken · interrupted
interruption
Break in continuity
cessation · stoppage · hiatus · outage · blackout · brownout · dropout · cutout · glitch · lapse
variability
Tendency to change
- oscillationRepeated back-and-forth movement
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- pulsationRhythmic expansion and contraction
undulation · ebb and flow · modulation · vacillation · waxing and waning · surge · dip · instability · inconsistency · irregularity
unpredictability
State resisting forecasts
- erraticLacking regularity or consistency
- inconsistentLacking steady uniformity
- spottyIrregular and unreliable
unsteady · hit-or-miss · uncertain · volatile · capricious · random · haphazard · uneven · unreliable · precarious
blink
Rapid lid movement
flutter · stutter · sputter · flashing · blinking · strobing · pulsing · on-off · stuttering · sputtering
- power gridspower grid, transformer, substation, substations, transmission lines
intermittencycontinuity
Uninterrupted progression or coherence
constancy · permanence · perpetuity · uninterruptedness · continuousness
intermittencyregularity
Consistent, predictable occurrence
consistency · steadiness · uniformity · stability · evenness
- intermittent fastingScheduled cycles of eating and abstaining
- intermittent rainPrecipitation with pauses between
- intermittent fastCycled eating and abstinence