seasonal
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Commonly Confused
Seasonal and seasonable are sometimes interchanged, probably because of their obvious connection with season. In edited prose and in formal speech these two adjectives are almost always distinguished. Seasonal describes phenomena that occur with or depend upon a season or the seasons: seasonal fluctuations in rainfall; seasonal sales. Seasonable in reference to weather means “suitable to or characteristic of the season”: a seasonable December; seasonable temperatures for July. Seasonable also has the sense “timely, opportune”: a seasonable offer of financial assistance.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of seasonal
Explanation
Seasonal things happen periodically, during a certain season. In most stores, Christmas decorations and candy canes are seasonal items. You'll probably find all kinds of fruit all year long in a large grocery store, but your local farmer's market most likely carries mainly seasonal fruit. This means they'll have apples in the fall, when they're in season, and strawberries in the spring. Workers are sometimes described as seasonal too — when they're employed just for the summer, for example: "The cafe hired lots of seasonal baristas in June."
Vocabulary lists containing seasonal
Weather and Climate - Introductory
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Weather and Climate - Middle School
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Earth Science - Middle School
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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.
Temperatures will generally be a few degrees above the seasonal norm and could possibly reach 23C in the sunniest parts of southern England.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
"Back then, we grew paprika on six hectares. Now it's around three hectares because there aren't enough seasonal workers to harvest it by hand," the 44-year-old told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
Weaker-than-expected domestic demand and orders during the traditional peak season suggest no seasonal uplift to sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Staying true to its seasonal carny roots, almost all professional wrestlers are gig workers.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
There were to be hostels and inns and seasonal study centers, and eventually permanent woodland villages—“self-owning” communities whose inhabitants would support themselves with cooperative “non-industrial activity” based on forestry, farming, and crafts.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
