off-and-on
Not constantly happening
Off-and-on describes something that happens intermittently—starting and stopping, present and then absent: They had an off-and-on relationship for years, off-and-on rain throughout the afternoon.
The phrase can also be an adverb: We dated off and on through college.
Often written without hyphens when used adverbially.
Occurring irregularly, infrequently
- occasionalHappening at intervals
- irregularDeviating from normal patterns
- periodicOccurring at intervals
- fluctuatingShifting irregularly over time
erratic · unpredictable · inconsistent · fitful · spasmodic · patchy · discontinuous · interrupted
Relaxed and informal
- uncommittedNot bound to anything
- rockyCovered with stones
- turbulentViolently agitated or disturbed
- complicatedDifficult to understand
unstable · ambiguous · wavering · nonexclusive · rekindled · break-up · reconciliation · situationship
sporadic
Occurring irregularly, infrequently
- occasionalHappening at intervals
- irregularDeviating from normal patterns
- periodicOccurring at intervals
fluctuating · erratic · unpredictable · inconsistent · fitful · spasmodic · patchy · discontinuous · interrupted · stop-and-go
casual
Relaxed and informal
- uncommittedNot bound to anything
- rockyCovered with stones
- turbulentViolently agitated or disturbed
complicated · unstable · ambiguous · wavering · nonexclusive · rekindled · break-up · reconciliation · situationship · fling
years
Twelve-month spans
stretches · spells · phases · intervals · stints · bouts · while · time · throughout · spanning
off-and-oncontinuous
Without pause or gap
constant · uninterrupted · steady · perpetual · nonstop
off-and-onconsistent
Not varying or contradicting
regular · reliable · dependable · steady · stable