adjective
sporadic
spuh-RAD-ik/spəˈrædɪk/
Occurring from time to time without a regular pattern.
The calendar records sporadic rain on irregularly spaced days.
Etymology
The Greek base means “scattered.” First applied to disease occurring in scattered instances, sporadic came to describe events scattered through time—happening at irregular intervals rather than continuously.
In context
ceasefire is in effect in Vietnam with only sporadic outbreaks of fighting
More examples
- The service suffered sporadic outages.
- She received only sporadic reports.
- Their meetings became increasingly sporadic.
Forms
sporadic · more sporadic · most sporadic
Similar words
- occasional
- Occasional means infrequent; sporadic additionally stresses irregular timing.
- intermittent
- Intermittent alternates with pauses; sporadic need not follow a recurring pattern.