sporadically

Meaning

1. 1adverbnot comparableformal

   In a way that happens now and then, with unpredictable gaps, instead of steadily or at fixed times.

   Grammar: Goes after the verb or before a participle: it rained sporadically.

   Patterns

   • occur sporadically
   • work sporadically

   The internet connection failed sporadically throughout the afternoon.

   He wrote to her only sporadically after he moved abroad.

   Gunfire could be heard sporadically during the night.

Common combinations

occur sporadically

The headaches occur sporadically, often weeks apart.

rain sporadically

It rained sporadically all weekend.

attend sporadically

She attended classes only sporadically that term.

work sporadically

The pump works sporadically, so we call the repairman often.

flare up sporadically

Fighting flared up sporadically along the border.

Synonyms and how they differ

occasionally

Occasionally is friendlier and more neutral, and it can suggest a fairly regular but rare pattern, while sporadically stresses randomness.

intermittently

Intermittently suggests stopping and starting repeatedly, like a flickering light.

irregularly

Irregularly stresses lack of pattern but does not imply that events are rare.

now and then

Now and then is an informal phrase for the same idea in casual speech.

Opposites

Word family

sporadic adjective

happening at irregular intervals

sporadicity noun

rare word for irregular occurrence

spore noun

a tiny reproductive cell scattered by fungi; shares the Greek idea of scattering

Commonly confused: sporadically or spasmodically?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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