sporadic
Americanadjective
-
(of similar things or occurrences) appearing or happening at irregular intervals in time; occasional.
sporadic renewals of enthusiasm.
- Antonyms:
- continuous
-
appearing in scattered or isolated instances, as a disease.
-
isolated, as a single instance of something; being or occurring apart from others.
- Synonyms:
- unconnected, separate
-
occurring singly or widely apart in locality.
the sporadic growth of plants.
adjective
-
occurring at irregular points in time; intermittent
sporadic firing
-
scattered; isolated
a sporadic disease
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; spore, -ic
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.
After a year of the strike "with sporadic bin collections, and rubbish left on the streets", people were tired, she said.
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026
They try to stay in touch with loved ones through phone calls and WhatsApp messages, but the secrecy around carrier movements means their communication with their families is sporadic and unpredictable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026
And then, to the sound of sporadic laughter, the amplified voice sings a slightly altered version:
From Slate • Feb. 11, 2026
That’s still too pricey for most in a country where millions scrape by on sporadic income from street vending, domestic work, construction and other iterations of the informal economy.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
Wednesday morning, only sporadic outbursts punctuated quiet in the streets, but many were not convinced the trouble was over.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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.
