What does intermittent mean?
Word: Intermittent
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Intermittent means stopping and starting again, not happening all the time.
Synonyms: occasional, sporadic, irregular, periodic
Antonyms: constant, steady
Word origin: From Latin, through the verb intermit, which English took in the 1500s.
How do you spell intermittent?
Syllables: in - ter - mit - tent
Tricky part: The t in the middle is doubled (mitt); students write intermitent.
Watch out for: intermitent, intermmitent
Memory tip: Think of a mitt, a thick glove you pull on and off again and again: find mitt in the middle of inter-mitt-ent.
Intermittent in a sentence
Example 1: We had intermittent rain all afternoon in Pune.
Example 2: The power cuts in our colony were intermittent during the storm.
Example 3: The patient had an intermittent pain in his knee.
Fun Fact
Car windscreen wipers with an intermittent setting, which sweep every few seconds in light rain, became common on cars in the 1970s.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order: i, e, i, e
a) c_nt_n_nt
b) _nt_r_st_ng
c) _nd_p_nd_nt
d) _nt_rm_tt_nt
Show answer
d) _nt_rm_tt_nt. Intermittent takes i, e, i, e; independent needs i, e, e, e, interesting i, e, e, i and continent o, i, e.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its opposite:
1. intermittent 2. lenient 3. obscure a. famous b. continuous c. strict
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. Strict is the reverse of lenient and famous of obscure; rain that never stops is continuous, the reverse of intermittent.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Intermittent comes from a Latin verb. What did that verb mean?
a) to stay for ever
b) to send a letter
c) to throw far
d) to leave off for a while
Show answer
d) to leave off for a while. Latin intermittere meant to leave off for a while, which is just what intermittent rain does.
Word Champ
Read the statements and choose the correct option:
1. Intermittent rain falls without a break. 2. A perennial river flows all year round. 3. A fleeting glimpse lasts a long time.
a) all three are true
b) only 1 and 2 are true
c) only 2 and 3 are true
d) only 2 is true
Show answer
d) only 2 is true. Intermittent rain stops and starts, and a fleeting glimpse is over in a moment, so only statement 2 is true.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. With an intermittent phone signal, a video call will most likely ____.
a) never connect at all
b) switch to another language
c) stay clear the whole time
d) keep freezing and coming back
Show answer
d) keep freezing and coming back
2. Which is usually intermittent rather than constant?
a) the light of the sun at noon
b) the flow of the Ganga
c) the flashing of a car's indicator
d) the pull of gravity
Show answer
c) the flashing of a car's indicator
