intermittent
Stopping and starting
Intermittent describes something that stops and starts at intervals rather than continuing steadily.
An intermittent noise comes and goes.
Intermittent rain falls, pauses, then falls again.
The word often appears in medical contexts—intermittent fasting, intermittent fever—and technical ones: The car has an intermittent electrical problem.
The opposite is continuous or constant.
Lacking regularity or consistency
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
- randomOccurring without pattern
- infrequentHappening only occasionally
- irregularDeviating from normal patterns
patchy · haphazard · hit-or-miss · uneven · scattered · episodic · fitful · desultory
Repeated brief illumination
- blinkingEyelid opening and closing
- strobingPulsing light effect
- pulsingBeating with rhythm
- flickeringShining unsteadily, intermittently
glimmering · winking · sputtering · guttering · wavering · faltering · glinting · twinkling
Came to rest
- disruptedCaused disorder in
- pausedStopped temporarily
- suspendedHalted or hanging temporarily
- discontinuousHaving breaks or gaps
stalled · broken · fragmented · disjointed · on-and-off · stuttering · choppy · gapped
Recurring at fixed intervals
- ephemeralLasting very briefly
- arroyoSeasonal desert watercourse
- wadiIntermittent desert watercourse
- gulchSteep narrow ravine
runoff · freshet · drainage · spring-fed · rain-fed · flashy · braided
Occurring at intervals
- recurringHappening repeatedly over time
- alternatingOccurring in turns
- oscillatingSwinging back and forth
- pulsingBeating with rhythm
rhythmic · rotational · phased · sequential · regular · repeating · cadenced · timed
erratic
Lacking regularity or consistency
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
- randomOccurring without pattern
- infrequentHappening only occasionally
irregular · patchy · haphazard · hit-or-miss · uneven · scattered · episodic · fitful · desultory · capricious
flashing
Repeated brief illumination
flickering · glimmering · winking · sputtering · guttering · wavering · faltering · glinting · twinkling · strobed
halted
Came to rest
discontinuous · stalled · broken · fragmented · disjointed · on-and-off · stuttering · choppy · gapped · segmented
seasonal
Recurring at fixed intervals
gulch · runoff · freshet · drainage · spring-fed · rain-fed · flashy · braided
periodic
Occurring at intervals
- recurringHappening repeatedly over time
- alternatingOccurring in turns
- oscillatingSwinging back and forth
pulsing · rhythmic · rotational · phased · sequential · regular · repeating · cadenced · timed · patterned
- timesecond, minute, hour, day, seconds
- time wordsminute, hour, day, now, soon
- infrequencyrarely, seldom, infrequent, infrequently, occasionally
- intermittentsporadic, periodic, on-off, discontinuous, occasional
- rarityrare, scarce, uncommon, infrequent, scant
- connection statusconnected, disconnected, online, offline, connecting
intermittentcontinuous
Without pause or gap
constant · unceasing · incessant · ceaseless · uninterrupted
intermittentregular
Occurring at fixed intervals
periodic · systematic · consistent · steady · rhythmic
intermittentpermanent
Fixed without end
lasting · persistent · enduring · eternal · everlasting
- intermittent fastingScheduled cycles of eating and abstaining
- intermittent rainPrecipitation with pauses between
- intermittent fastCycled eating and abstinence