episodic

American  

[ep-uh-sod-ik, -zod-] / ˌɛp əˈsɒd ɪk, -ˈzɒd- /

Also episodical

adjective

1. pertaining to or of the nature of an episode.

2. divided into separate or tenuously related parts or sections; loosely connected.

   an episodic novel.

   Synonyms:

   digressive, wandering, rambling

3. occurring sporadically or incidentally.

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episodic British  

/ ˌɛpɪˈsɒdɪk /

adjective

1. resembling or relating to an episode

2. divided into or composed of episodes

3. irregular, occasional, or sporadic

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Usage

What does episodic mean? Episodic describes things that are divided into episodes—parts or installments in a series. The word episode is perhaps most popularly used to refer to one of the parts that a TV series is divided into, as in I’ve seen every single episode of The Office. A TV show is especially described as episodic when each episode is its own standalone story, as in Showrunners are planning to make the reboot more episodic, with each episode being its own adventure. (Of course, many shows have episodes that contain a standalone story that also ties into the bigger narrative.)A more general sense of the word episode refers to a specific incident in a continuous series of events or an occurrence of a recurring event. In this way, episodic can be used to describe things that occur occasionally or at irregular intervals. Similar terms are occasional, irregular, and sporadic. Example: Epilepsy is sometimes described as an episodic disability because seizures happen at irregular intervals.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonepisodic
  adjective
• episodically
  adverb
• nonepisodically
  adverb
• nonepisodical
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of episodic

First recorded in 1705–15; episode + -ic

Explanation

If you have an episodic interest in professional sports, you pay attention to sports from time to time, but you're not a regular fan. The adjective episodic is often used to mean "occasional" or "every once in a while." If you have a bad cough that comes and goes, you could call it an "episodic condition." When used in this way, episodic suggests that the cough appears at irregular, or random, intervals. Episodic can also describe the way certain stories are told. An "episodic narrative" is a story that is told through a series of episodes, or segments. A soap opera on television, for instance, is an episodic program.

Example Sentences

Morgan Stanley has moved away from the more episodic trading and investment banking, and now wealth management is basically half of earnings.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

Quintrell largely stayed true to the novel, although she had to distill a lot of the story down to fit the vignette-like episodic format.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

It was a good night for episodic superhero adventure Dispatch, which was a surprise smash hit when it launched last year.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

"This dramatic layering of young jets inside older, exhausted lobes is the signature of an episodic AGN -- a galaxy whose central engine keeps turning on and off over cosmic timescales."

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

My narrative, while willfully episodic in character—no comprehensive coverage of all events is claimed—follows a chronological line, with one significant exception.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• anecdotal
• disjointed