pe·ri·od·i·cal
ˌpir-ē-ˈä-di-kəl 
1
2
a
: published with a fixed interval between the issues or numbers
b
: published in, characteristic of, or connected with a periodical
: a periodical publication
Examples of periodical in a Sentence
Adjective
a periodical town newsletter that is supported by local advertisers
periodical announcements from airline personnel concerning the delay
Noun
She writes for a monthly periodical.
The library has a large collection of scholarly periodicals.
Recent Examples on the Web
Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Residents along inner Cape Cod and over the bridge into southeastern Plymouth County should expect the 17-year periodical red-eye cicadas to surface by late June.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 10 May 2025
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 17 June 2025
In each of these periodicals, the passage—unmoored from its original context among other beauty secrets—offered a lengthy and extremely specific taxonomy of the connection between hair and character:
Coarse, black hair and dark skin signify great power of character, with a tendency to sensuality.
—Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for periodical
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Adjective
Humanoids attempted to bring it back occasionally in an English periodical edition, but anthologies generally don’t do well in the comic book direct market.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Residents along inner Cape Cod and over the bridge into southeastern Plymouth County should expect the 17-year periodical red-eye cicadas to surface by late June.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 10 May 2025
Noun
Plenty of people still enjoy traditional books and periodicals, and there are even readers for whom the networked age has enabled a kind of hyper-literacy; for them, a smartphone is a library in their pocket.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 17 June 2025
In each of these periodicals, the passage—unmoored from its original context among other beauty secrets—offered a lengthy and extremely specific taxonomy of the connection between hair and character:
Coarse, black hair and dark skin signify great power of character, with a tendency to sensuality.
—Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for periodical
Cite this Entry
“Periodical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/periodical. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
periodical
1 of 2 adjective
pe·ri·od·i·cal
ˌpir-ē-ˈäd-i-kəl
1
2
: published at regular intervals
periodically
adverb
-k(ə-)lē
periodical
2 of 2 noun
: a periodical publication
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