Word of the Day: fitful

fitful ˈfit-fəl adjective

1. occurring in spells and often abruptly

2. intermittently stopping and starting

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The word fitful has appeared in 25 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on June 25 in “Air-Conditioning Was Once Taboo in Seattle. Not Anymore.” by Mike Baker:

Even with the surge in new air-conditioners, the Seattle metro in 2019 still had the lowest rate among metros tracked in the American Housing Survey, ahead of San Francisco, where 47 percent reported having units. In Portland, 79 percent had air-conditioning. Other large cities where 90-degree temperatures are more common, such as Houston, had air-conditioning in more than 99 percent of households.

… Mr. Bond, who has lived in Seattle since 1980, recalled that during the 2009 heat wave, he went to bed with the indoor temperature above 90 degrees and woke up after a miserable night of fitful sleep to find the indoor temperatures still in the mid- to upper 80s.

Daily Word Challenge

Can you correctly use the word fitful in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how fitful can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try one of our monthly vocabulary challenges.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.