periodically

[ peer-ee-od-ik-lee ]

adverb

1. at irregular intervals of time; intermittently:

   Internships of various types are available periodically.

   You will need to recharge the battery periodically; the recharge interval will vary depending upon use.

2. at regular or somewhat regular intervals of time:

   By periodically—perhaps monthly—performing this test, you can quantitatively assess the impact of your training.

Other Words From

• non·pe·r·od·i·cal·ly adverb
• qua·si-pe·ri·od·i·cal·ly adverb
• un·pe·ri·od·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of periodically¹

periodical ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

This is evident not only in the upheaval that stretched from Atlanta to Wisconsin this year, but in the periodic upheaval that has repeated across the last century.

From Vox

The periodic unwinding of these positions adds further price volatility to tech stocks.

From Fortune

Even before the pandemic, companies were facing mounting losses from periodic supply chain bottlenecks and shutdowns.

From Fortune

By varying the exposure to fuel in a periodic pattern, the temperature varies and the micromuscle accordions.

From Science News

She’s the creative mind behind many of our website’s beguiling video explainers, including a recent one on how an element earns a place on the periodic table.

From Science News

She would periodically show up at the house and stay in the attic, where she hung beads and burned incense.

From The Daily Beast

Take, for instance, those with sleep apnea, in which breathing periodically stops and starts throughout the night.

From The Daily Beast

“Ahhhmm-hmmmm,” our ranger periodically grunts, signaling our friendly intentions.

From The Daily Beast

Time passed, and periodically a scholarly blog would raise a metaphorical eyebrow about the lack of test results.

From The Daily Beast

The North periodically launches Scuds, like the ones on Thursday, and sometimes these events have geopolitical meaning.

From The Daily Beast

And furthermore, I imagine something else about this—quite unlike the old Bible—I imagine all of it periodically revised.

From Project Gutenberg

To avoid the damp and cold of English winters he was periodically taken to the south of France.

From Project Gutenberg

The tidal rivers mentioned previously are actually estuaries of Chesapeake Bay and they flow periodically inland.

From Project Gutenberg

One of the finest sights in the church is that which the guilds of the place periodically make.

From Project Gutenberg

Then matters became strangely complicated, as they seem to be periodically throughout Irish history.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• annually
• regularly
• repeatedly
• systematically