interrupted

1 of 2

adjective

in·​ter·​rupt·​ed ˌin-tə-ˈrəp-təd 

1

: broken in upon : discontinuous

an interrupted stripe

interrupted service

an interrupted phone call

interrupted sleep

2

botany : not uniform : broken in arrangement or symmetry

… flowers whorled in interrupted clusters.

—Charles E. Turner

3

phonetics : consisting of or containing a stop in articulation

\k\ is an interrupted consonant

interruptedly adverb

… Jeanne's mother had been … schoolmate and good girlfriend to Maria Gostrey, who had moreover enjoyed since then, though interruptedly … , other glimpses of her.

—Henry James

interruptedness noun

"I am much obliged to you for giving me full notice," he said, with a firm intention in his tone, yet with an interruptedness in his delivery which showed that he spoke unwillingly.

—George Eliot

interrupted

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of interrupt entry 1

Examples of interrupted in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And solar power, which is more plentiful and less interrupted in space, could serve as the primary energy source for orbiting or lunar data centers. —Michael Wu, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025

Snoring and sleep apnea are keeping you up Loud snoring, waking up gasping or experiencing dry mouth upon waking may indicate sleep apnea, a condition characterized by interrupted breathing during sleep. —Dr. Samanta Dall’agnese, CNBC, 13 May 2025

Amina wanted to see them on these same terms, rather than be disappointed by interrupted conversations and her friends’ possible lack of interest in her daughter. —Ayşegül Savaş, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2025

As field operations are interrupted and conservation timelines stall, the few remaining birds in the wild continue to face mounting threats. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for interrupted

• uncorrupted
• corrupted
• disrupted
• erupted
• uninterrupted