intermittentin‧ter‧mit‧tent /ˌɪntəˈmɪtənt◂ $ -tər-/ adjective 
Word Origin
The weather forecast is for sun, with intermittent showers.—intermittently adverb
Word OriginWORD ORIGINintermittent
ExamplesOrigin:
1500-1600 Latin present participle of intermittere, from mittere ‘to send’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- After two days of intermittent fighting, order was finally restored.
- She is the sort of person who works with intense but intermittent effort.
- The afternoon will be warm but unsettled, with intermittent light rain.
- There were clouds and intermittent rain during the festival.
- There will be intermittent thunderstorms throughout the day.
Longman Language Activatornot regularly► every now and then/every so often
stopping and starting often and for short periods SYN sporadic: sometimes, but not very often and not regularly: · I only smoke every now and then, at a party or when we go out to eat.· Every so often the silence was broken by the sound of gunfire.
► on and off/off and on if you do something on and off or off and on during a long period, you do it for short periods but not regularly: · I've been trying to learn Spanish on and off for the past five years.· "Are you still going out with Bill?" "Off and on."
► by/in fits and starts repeatedly starting and stopping, but not regularly and never for more than a short time: · Unfortunately our research has only continued in fits and starts.advance/grow/progress etc in fits and starts: · The disease progressed in fits and starts for at least two decades.· American military technology has advanced by fits and starts.
► intermittent happening repeatedly but not continuously: · There will be intermittent thunderstorms throughout the day.· After two days of intermittent fighting, order was finally restored.
► sporadic happening repeatedly over a fairly long time but not regularly and only for short periods within that time: · Our advertising campaigns have been too sporadic to have had a lot of success.· Since then he has been on sporadic drinking binges.sporadic fighting/violence/shots/outbreaks etc: · There was rioting and sporadic fighting in the city as rival gangs clashed.· sporadic outbreaks of disease
► in waves if something happens in waves , a short period of activity is followed by a pause, and then there is another short period of activity and another pause, and it continues in this way: · The recruitment of new staff has been proceeding in waves.· Pain and nausea swept over him in waves.
words for describing something that happens sometimes but not often► occasional · The prisoners are allowed occasional visits from their relatives.the occasional/an occasional · The street was silent except for the occasional burst of laughter from one of the workmen.· I didn't know Terry very well, but we went out for an occasional drink together.
► the odd: the odd drink/game/occasion etc especially spoken a few drinks, games etc at various times, but not often and not regularly: · Jim and I have the odd game of cards together.· We get the odd complaint from customers, but mostly they're very satisfied.
► intermittent happening for short irregular periods, often with long periods in between, not continuously: · She is the sort of person who works with intense but intermittent effort.· The afternoon will be warm but unsettled, with intermittent light rain.
► periodic happening sometimes, usually every few months, years etc: · She suffered periodic bouts of depression.· Periodic failures of the olive crop kept the country in constant debt.· The budget is subject to periodic review.
► casual: casual user/visitor etc someone who does not often use something, visit somewhere etc: · Casual users of the library may not realize that they now need a computerized ticket.· Charging an entry fee for museums will not affect the casual visitor very much.
The weather forecast is for sun, with intermittent showers.—intermittently adverb