Fitful
/ˈfɪtf(ʊ)l/ adj
adj ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Characterized by fits (convulsions or seizures). obsolete
"Duncane is in his Graue: After Lifes fitfull Feuer, he ſleepes well, Treaſon ha's done his worſt: not Steele, not Poyſon, Mallice domeſtique, forraine Leuie, nothing, Can touch him further."
- 2 Characterized by sudden bursts of activity with periods of inactivity in between; intermittent, irregular, unsteady. broadly
"His breathing was fitful."
Adjective
- 1 intermittently stopping and starting wordnet
- 2 occurring in spells and often abruptly wordnet
Example
More examples"Tom's fitful movements only barely resembled dancing."
Etymology
From fit (“convulsion, seizure; sudden burst of activity”) + -ful (suffix forming adjectives from nouns, with the sense of being full of, tending to, or thoroughly possessing the quality expressed by the noun).