episodic

adjective

ep·​i·​sod·​ic ˌe-pə-ˈsä-dik 

also

-ˈzä- 

variants or less commonly episodical

ˌe-pə-ˈsä-di-kəl 

 also  -ˈzä-

1

: made up of separate especially loosely connected episodes

2

: having the form of an episode

3

: of or limited in duration or significance to a particular episode : temporary

may be able to establish whether the sea-floor spreading is continuous or episodic

—A. I. Hammond

4

: occurring, appearing, or changing at usually irregular intervals : occasional

an episodic illness

episodically

ˌe-pə-ˈsä-di-k(ə-)lē 

 also  -ˈzä-

adverb

Synonyms

• periodical
• serial
• serialized

Examples of episodic in a Sentence

the long novel was filmed for television as an episodic movie that was shown over the course of five evenings

malaria is characterized by episodic attacks of chills and fever that coincide with mass destruction of blood cells

Recent Examples on the Web

In addition to the episodic trailer (below), here are all of the details mastermind Charlie Brooker and Netflix have released about the six episodes that make up the highly anticipated return of Netflix’s Emmy-winning dystopian series. —Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 31 Mar. 2025

The show, hosted by Williams and Christopher Knight who played Peter, is an episodic breakdown of the iconic series. —Colson Thayer, People.com, 30 Mar. 2025

This is observed because the bigmouth buffalo has adapted to rare windows of reproductive success, a strategy known as episodic recruitment. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025

The deal, which takes effect from April 7, will see a 13% increase to a performer’s episodic fees alongside an increase in other costs such as production day payments and overtime fees. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for episodic

• periodic
• anodic
• melodic
• prosodic
• rhapsodic
• spasmodic
• antispasmodic
• aperiodic
• photoperiodic
• sodic