絶え間・絶えま|たえまtaema[3]odaka (tail-high)

1. nouninterval; break; pause; intermission
   その病人びょうにんは絶え間たえまのない世話せわを必要ひつようとした。↗

   The sick man required constant attention.
2. noungap (e.g. in the clouds); rift; cleft

• Synonym間断かんだんWrittenWritten/formal prose, mostly in 「間断なく」; synonymous with 「絶え間なく」 but stiffer in tone.
• Synonym切れ目きれめNeutralCovers cut marks and incisions as well as where something continuous breaks off; 「絶え間」 does not refer to a cut.
• Synonym途切れとぎれNeutralRefers to a continuous thing breaking off partway, as in speech or traffic; 「絶え間」 focuses on the gap at the break and appears mostly in 「絶え間なく」.
• Synonym途絶えとだえNeutralDescribes an ongoing thing stopping for a time, often contact or the flow of people being cut off; 「絶え間」 is the gap between breaks.
• Synonym切れ間きれまNeutralMostly gaps in clouds or rain, as in 「雲の切れ間」; in this sense it is interchangeable with 「絶え間」.
• Related区切りくぎりNeutralA dividing point or place to stop, as in 「仕事の区切り」; 「絶え間」 is a gap that opens up within something continuous.
• Related間あいだNeutralThe broadest term for gaps in space or time; 「絶え間」 specifically means the space left when something continuous breaks off.
• Related中断ちゅうだんNeutralAn ongoing activity being interrupted midway — an action that takes 「する」; 「絶え間」 is the gap itself and cannot take 「する」.
• Related一段落いちだんらくNeutralWork coming to a stage where one can breathe, as in 「一段落つく」; 「絶え間」 carries no sense of a completed stage.
• Related休止きゅうしNeutralAn activity being suspended or paused, as in 「運転休止」; 「絶え間」 is a gap within something continuous.
• Related一息ひといきNeutralCatching one's breath or a brief rest, often in 「一息つく」; 「絶え間」 never refers to a person's rest.
• Related一休みひとやすみCasualColloquial word for a person taking a short break; 「絶え間」 is about gaps in things that continue.
• RelatedブレイクCasualLoanword for a rest or a break of serve in tennis, also for becoming popular; 「絶え間」 has none of these senses.
• Related停止ていしNeutralMovement or activity coming to a halt, as in 「営業停止」; 「絶え間」 names only a gap, never an action.
• Related中止ちゅうしNeutralAbandoning something midway or calling off a planned event; 「絶え間」 carries no sense of cancellation.
• Related休みやすみNeutralA very wide-ranging word covering rest, holidays and absence; 「絶え間」 only means a gap in something continuous.
• Related途絶とぜつWrittenWritten/formal prose for traffic or communication ceasing entirely, as in 「連絡が途絶する」; 「絶え間」 is merely a gap.
• RelatedタイムCasualColloquial word for a time-out called in a game, also for time or a race time; 「絶え間」 is a gap in something continuous, not a called pause.
• Related晴れ間はれまNeutralA spell of clear weather during rain or snow, or blue sky through clouds; also a rare moment of calm; 「絶え間」 covers gaps of all kinds.
• Related一切りひときりWrittenWritten/formal prose for a temporary stopping point or a bygone period; rare in use, while 「絶え間」 is a gap within something continuous.
• Antonym連続れんぞくNeutralContinuing on without interruption, the direct opposite of the interrupted gap that 「絶え間」 expresses.
• Antonym絶え間ないたえまないNeutralAdjective meaning continuous and unbroken, negating the very gap that 「絶え間」 denotes.

「絶え間」 is mostly seen in 「絶え間なく」 or 「雲の絶え間」. For an ordinary interval use 「間」; for an interruption use 「途切れ」 or 「中断」; for a gap in clouds or rain use 「切れ間」 or 「晴れ間」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 途切とぎれる間あいだ。切れ間きれま。