fitful
fitful — 形容詞
- fitfulpositive
- more fitfulcomparative
- most fitfulsuperlative
1. not happening steadily or smoothly, but with pauses and irregular changes in spe
斷斷續續的
時斷時續、不穩定的
not happening steadily or smoothly, but with pauses and irregular changes in speed or strength
After the scary movie, Elena’s sleep was fitful and she woke up several times.
看完那部恐怖片後，Elena 睡得很不安穩，中途醒了好幾次。
fitful sleep (common collocation)
The peace talks made fitful progress, with long delays between meetings.
和平談判的進展斷斷續續，每次開會之間隔了很久。
fitful progress (common collocation)
A fitful wind blew through the old town, gusting one moment and dying the next.
一陣時強時弱的風吹過老城區，一下子起風，一下子又停了。
Mateo’s fitful breathing worried the nurse, as it kept stopping and restarting.
Mateo 的呼吸時斷時續，讓護士很擔心，因為偶爾會停止再重新呼吸。
The old generator ran with a fitful hum, cutting out every few minutes.
舊的發電機發出斷斷續續的轟聲，每隔幾分鐘就停止一次。
- intermittent
more neutral; simply means happening then stopping, without the uneasy feel
- sporadic
suggests longer gaps and more randomness in timing
- erratic
emphasizes unpredictability and irregular changes in direction or quality
- irregular
broader term; not following a normal pattern
- uneven
suggests lack of consistency in quality, speed, or strength
- steady
happening at a uniform rate without interruption
- continuous
going on without any breaks or pauses
文法句型
fitful + noun
be + fitful
用法筆記
Commonly used with nouns like sleep, breathing, progress, wind, and effort to describe something that starts and stops unpredictably.
常見錯誤
❖ 'The baby had a fitful cry all night.' ✅ 'The baby had a fitful night, waking up often.' — fitful describes the sleep or the night, not the cry itself.