INTERMITTENT Synonyms: 95 Similar and Opposite Words

intermittent

adjective

ˌin-tər-ˈmi-tᵊnt

Definition of intermittent

as in recurrent

occurring or appearing at intervals intermittent showers had me opening and closing my umbrella all day long

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sporadic

lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence the breadwinner's intermittent employment put the family in a difficult position financially

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example 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 intermittent In Iraq, the United States inflicted a dozen years of punishing sanctions, intermittent bombing, and failed regime change and counterproliferation efforts, followed by the disastrous 2003 invasion and occupation, all at tremendous human cost. — Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 Then came even more emotion, with intermittent pauses to cry. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026 Old Assumptions, New Realities The traditional hardware stack made sense when workloads were intermittent. — David Schie, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 The fact that the warning clears after a restart suggests an intermittent fault rather than a major component failure. — John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs and Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for intermittent

Recent Examples of Synonyms for intermittent

Adjective

The Federal Reserve was created to protect financial stability after recurrent banking panics.

— Joao Gomes, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
But in the new Phase I trial, Chen’s team designed a form of CAR-T cell therapy that targets B7-H3 and studied its effects in 15 patients with recurrent glioblastoma that had not responded to available therapies.

— Isabella Backman, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of recurrent

Adjective

Bahrain and Kuwait, which have continued to face sporadic Iranian attacks, will have the lowest staffing of the Gulf embassies, with three-quarters of Foreign Service members returning.

— Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Attacks on Kenscoff have escalated The first major attack on Kenscoff occurred in January 2025, and since then, there have been sporadic attacks in the mountains surrounding the city center.

— Pierre-Richard Luxama, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of sporadic

Adjective

How Recurring Revenue Is The Pump There’s only one kind of funding that reliably shows up in year seven—recurring, unrestricted revenue.

— Sarah Evans, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Excluding non-recurring events, the magnitude of the average S & P 500 earnings surprise for the quarter is still about 11%.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of recurring

Adjective

When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, her family spent months in a bomb shelter, risking only occasional visits back to their apartment.

— Josh Bergeron, Charlotte Observer, 25 Aug. 2026
The Sox entered Tuesday ranked last in the majors with 561 innings pitched by starters — a number impacted in part by their occasional use of an opener.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of occasional

Adjective

But amid a growing water crisis in the West, and periodic droughts in other parts of the country, constant water access is not a given.

— Simmone Shah, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
And periodic ceasefires during the war sent global oil prices lower – only to rise again whenever those agreements have lapsed or run out.

— Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of periodic

Adjective

Officials are still investigating the exact cause, though preliminary assessments suggest an ice avalanche may have blocked a river upstream in Tibet, triggering the sudden outburst flood.

— Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
The concierge can be contacted via WhatsApp, but response times can be slow during varying rush hours; for example, a sudden tropical rainstorm might inspire half the resort to call in for room service.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of sudden

Browse Nearby Words

intermitted

intermittent

intermittently

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Intermittent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intermittent. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of intermittent

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on intermittent

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes