seasonal

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Happening or available only during a particular part of the year.

   Grammar: Not usually used with 'more' or 'most'; it describes a fixed quality. For example, 'seasonal work' not 'more seasonal work'.

   Patterns

   • seasonal work
   • seasonal produce
   • seasonal variation

   Many farms hire seasonal workers to pick fruit in the summer.

   The restaurant changes its menu to use seasonal vegetables.

   There is a seasonal increase in tourism during the winter holidays.

2. 2adjectivenot comparable

   Affected by or depending on the time of year, especially changes in weather or demand.

   Grammar: Often used before a noun: seasonal changes, seasonal fluctuations.

   Patterns

   • seasonal changes
   • seasonal fluctuations
   • seasonal affective disorder

   The company adjusts its production to seasonal demand.

   Seasonal changes in temperature affect what crops can grow.

   Some people experience seasonal sadness when the days get shorter.

Word forms

Common combinations

seasonal work

He takes seasonal work at a ski resort every winter.

seasonal produce

The market sells only seasonal produce from local farms.

seasonal affective disorder

Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression linked to shorter days.

Synonyms and how they differ

periodic

Periodic means happening at regular intervals, not necessarily once a year; seasonal specifically relates to the seasons.

annual

Annual means once a year; seasonal means during a particular season, which may be less than a year.

Opposites

Word family

season noun

One of the four divisions of the year.

seasonally adverb

In a way that relates to the seasons.

seasonality noun

The state of being seasonal.

Commonly confused: seasonal or seasonable?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “seasonal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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