sporadically

adverb

spo·​rad·​i·​cal·​ly spə-ˈra-di-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce sporadically (audio)
: in a sporadic manner : not regularly or constantly
gunfire being heard sporadically
software updates that appear sporadically
Originally from the western Pacific Ocean, the shrimp have been spotted sporadically in U.S. waters for the past two decades.Rick Jervis
Even when the sun is being well behaved, parcels of plasma shoot sporadically toward Earth's dark side, prompting a bright aurora and intensifying radiation belts.Tim Beardsley

Examples of sporadically in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The cemetery was only sporadically maintained by its caretaker, and raking the long grass gave me the eerie feeling of running my fingers through a child’s hair. Hazlitt, 2 Apr. 2025 Formal training sessions occur sporadically, take time away from work and primarily focus on explicit knowledge rather than the practical experience that drives sound decision-making. Rajesh Rajagopalan, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025 The most recent excavations, which were started by Benito Mussolini, were halted during World War II and then picked up sporadically until 2022. Barbie Latza Nadeau and Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025 Unlike the detainees at Guantánamo in the nineteen-nineties, a few today have access to phones and are able to sporadically communicate with reporters and photographers. Edwidge Danticat, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sporadically

Word History

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sporadically was in 1681

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Cite this Entry

“Sporadically.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sporadically. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

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