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intermittent

/ˌɪntərˈmɪtnt//ˌɪntəˈmɪtnt/·adjective
stopping and starting at irregular intervals; not continuous
Fig. 1 — A chasm is crossed by four stepping stones that rise and drop on their own ragged timetables, with a lamp on the cliff blinking to the same uneven beat.
01Definition

Intermittent describes what arrives in installments — the Latin intermittere means 'to leave off between', and the gaps are the point: intermittent rain is rain you can walk between; an intermittent signal works right up until it matters. Unlike 'sporadic', which scatters events thinly, intermittent implies an ongoing thing that keeps switching off and on, so you can never quite rely on it and never quite give up on it either.

02In use
  • iIntermittent rain interrupted the match throughout the afternoon.
  • iiThe village's intermittent electricity supply makes refrigeration precarious.
  • iiiEngineers spent weeks chasing an intermittent fault that refused to emerge under test conditions.
03Collocations
  • intermittent rain
  • an intermittent signal
  • intermittent fasting
  • an intermittent fault
  • intermittent supply

Family intermittently (adverb) · intermittence (noun)

04Relations

=sporadic, periodic, fitful, on-and-off, irregular

≠continuous, constant, uninterrupted, perpetual

05Compared
PairThe difference
intermittent vs ephemeralone brief existence, then gone for good → ephemeral; switching off and on, again and again → intermittent.
06TOEFL & IELTS

The technical term of TOEFL energy passages: solar and wind power are 'intermittent sources', and whole arguments about storage hang on that word. IELTS listening uses it for weather and equipment; 'intermittently' is a precise adverb for describing irregular trends. Engineers' folklore — the intermittent fault is the hardest to fix — shows exactly the meaning: failure that won't stay still long enough to be caught.

07Asked
How do you pronounce intermittent?
In-ter-MIT-ent — four syllables, main stress on the third (MIT), which is the 'mit' of 'permit'. The ending is a light '-nt', not '-ment'. The adverb keeps the same beat: in-ter-MIT-ent-lee. A common slip is stressing the first syllable; keep the weight on MIT and the word settles.
What is the difference between intermittent and sporadic?
Both mean not continuous, but the pattern differs. Intermittent is an ongoing thing that keeps switching off and on — intermittent rain, an intermittent signal. Sporadic is scattered and infrequent, events dotted thinly with no rhythm — sporadic outbreaks, sporadic applause. Intermittent stops and restarts; sporadic just happens now and then, here and there.
What is the difference between intermittent and periodic?
Periodic means happening at regular, predictable intervals — a periodic review every quarter. Intermittent means happening irregularly, on and off with no reliable timing. A periodic signal you can set a clock by; an intermittent one you cannot. The gaps are the point in both, but periodic gaps are even and intermittent ones are not.
What is the difference between intermittent and continuous?
Continuous means unbroken, going on without stopping — a continuous hum, continuous power. Intermittent is its opposite: broken by gaps, stopping and starting. The distinction drives real arguments: solar and wind are intermittent sources, working only when the sun shines or the wind blows, which is why continuous backup or storage matters so much.
What does 'intermittent fault' mean?
A fault that appears and disappears rather than staying broken — a wire that works until it is jostled, a connection that drops only sometimes. Engineers dread them precisely because of the word's meaning: the failure will not stay still long enough to be found. The scene above is the feeling exactly — stepping stones that rise and sink on their own uneven timetable.
What does 'intermittent' mean in 'intermittent fasting'?
It describes the on-and-off pattern of eating: periods of normal eating alternating with set periods of not eating, rather than a continuous change to the diet. The word carries no dietary claim — it simply names the rhythm, the same on/off switching as an intermittent signal, applied to when you eat rather than whether a light is on.