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

These unfinished or interrupted tasks can weigh on your mind. —Aditi Shrikant, CNBC, 30 Nov. 2024

Midway through the broadcast, a pair of police officers came onto the set and interrupted. —Peter Baugh, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024

Worker protests over August and September alone have cost the sector $400 million due to interrupted operations, according to the BGMEA’s estimate. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019

Then the moment’s interrupted with the news of Barreto’s death. —EW.com, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1