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.
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
Colorectal cancers that are not linked to inherited genetic conditions and typically appear after age 50 are known as average-onset or sporadic CRCs.
From Science Daily
On Monday afternoon, sporadic vuvuzela toots and car horns could still be heard downtown, although unclear whether a holdover from the prior night's celebrations or in anticipation of the team's forthcoming arrival.
From Barron's
One group came from a patient who had died from late onset sporadic Alzheimer's disease.
From Science Daily
Different leaders, organizations and local movements press for change, but their efforts are sporadic and heterogeneous.
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.
