sporadic

American  

[spuh-rad-ik] / spəˈræd ɪk /

Sometimes sporadical

adjective

1. (of similar things or occurrences) appearing or happening at irregular intervals in time; occasional.

   sporadic renewals of enthusiasm.

   Antonyms:

   continuous

2. appearing in scattered or isolated instances, as a disease.

3. isolated, as a single instance of something; being or occurring apart from others.

   Synonyms:

   unconnected, separate

4. occurring singly or widely apart in locality.

   the sporadic growth of plants.

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sporadic British  

/ spəˈrædɪk /

adjective

1. occurring at irregular points in time; intermittent

   sporadic firing

2. scattered; isolated

   a sporadic disease

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Other Word Forms

• sporadically
  adverb
• sporadicalness
  noun
• sporadicity
  noun
• sporadism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of sporadic

First recorded in 1680–90; from Medieval Latin sporadicus, from Greek sporadikós, equivalent to sporad- (stem of sporás “strewn,” akin to sporá “sowing, seed”) + -ikos adjective suffix; see spore, -ic

Explanation

Sporadic is an adjective that you can use to refer to something that happens or appears often, but not constantly or regularly. The mail carrier comes every day but the plumber's visits are sporadic — he comes as needed. A specialized use of sporadic is to describe a disease that appears only occasionally in random cases, and is therefore not an epidemic. Mostly, though, you'll hear this word used to describe anything that happens occasionally, like your family's sporadic trips to visit your distant cousins in Ohio or the sporadic bake sales your science club sponsors when it's low on funds. English borrowed the word sporadic from Greek sporadikós, "scattered."

Example Sentences

"For the last hour, sporadic clashes have taken place between the Iranian armed forces and American vessels in the Strait of Hormuz," the Fars news agency said.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

An area of cloud will move eastwards across the UK during Thursday bringing sporadic outbreaks of rain - with a mix of sunshine and showers following from the west.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

But Mara was more than a transfer, he was transformative, and everyone who had watched him roaming the Pauley floor during his sporadic appearances knew it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

If her updates became sporadic, followers would send her messages asking when the next post was coming.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

A few wind- whipped and decrepit Victorian mansions, remnants of a lost era of seagoing optimism, loomed out of the snowfall on the town’s sporadic hills.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

Related Words

• desultory
• fitful
• infrequent
• intermittent
• irregular
• isolated
• occasional
• random
• rare
• scattered
• spotty