occasional
Americanadjective
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occurring or appearing at irregular or infrequent intervals; occurring now and then.
an occasional headache.
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intended for supplementary use when needed.
an occasional chair.
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pertaining to, arising out of, or intended for the occasion.
occasional verses.
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acting or serving for the occasion or only on particular occasions.
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serving as the occasion or incidental cause.
adjective
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taking place from time to time; not frequent or regular
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of, for, or happening on special occasions
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serving as an occasion (for something)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of occasional
Explanation
When something happens from time to time on an irregular basis, we say it is an occasional occurrence. For example, you might have an occasional lunch with a friend. If your friend ever picked up the bill, maybe it would happen more often. Occasional is a few steps removed from the Latin cadere, "to fall." So you might think of something occasional as something that happens "to fall" just whenever it happens to fall. Speaking of falling, Voltaire once wrote, "The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination." An occasional election might do in a pinch.
Vocabulary lists containing occasional
The Cay
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Bridge to Terabithia
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Island of the Blue Dolphins
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Soviets wrote the Nobels out of Russian history, bar the occasional sneer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
She remembers when the blocks up to Tin Hau Temple brimmed with food carts, trinkets, and the occasional fortune-teller.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
Moderate wine drinkers had a 21% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with never or occasional drinkers.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
Observational studies of the general population suggest that people drink less overall when on weight-loss drugs, but the clinical trials to date have focused on people with alcohol use disorder, rather than occasional drinkers.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
In the meantime, the children kept her company and took occasional rides on her back, but only when she was in the mood.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
