sporadic

adjective

spo·​rad·​ic spə-ˈra-dik 

: occurring occasionally, singly, or in irregular or random instances

sporadic protests

a sporadic disease

Did you know?

Sporadic Has Medieval Latin Roots

You never know where or when the occasion to use sporadic will pop up, but when it does, sporadic is the perfect choice to describe something that happens randomly or irregularly, often in scattered instances or isolated outbursts. The word comes from Medieval Latin sporadicus, which is itself derived from Greek sporadēn, meaning “here and there.” It is also related to the Greek verb speirein (“to sow”), the ancestor from which we get our word spore (the reproductive cell of a fungus, microorganism, or some plants), hinting at the seemingly scattered nature by which such cells spread and germinate.

Synonyms

• aperiodic
• casual
• catchy
• choppy
• discontinuous
• episodic
• episodical
• erratic
• fitful
• intermittent
• irregular
• occasional
• spasmodic
• spastic
• spotty
• unsteady

Choose the Right Synonym for sporadic

infrequent, uncommon, scarce, rare, sporadic mean not common or abundant.

infrequent implies occurrence at wide intervals in space or time.

infrequent family visits

uncommon suggests a frequency below normal expectation.

smallpox is now uncommon in many countries

scarce implies falling short of a standard or required abundance.

jobs were scarce during the Depression

rare suggests extreme scarcity or infrequency and often implies consequent high value.

rare first editions

sporadic implies occurrence in scattered instances or isolated outbursts.

sporadic cases of influenza

Examples of sporadic in a Sentence

The law was indeed tightened, prohibiting the employment of illegal aliens on the valid assumption that removing the magnet of jobs is necessary to stem illegal immigration. But enforcement was sporadic at best, and has now virtually ceased. —Mark Krikorian, National Review, 26 Jan. 2004

I left Madras twenty years ago. Two marriages and three children later I am a different man from the one who left. My return visits have been sporadic. But there is great delight in a homecoming. —Abraham Verghese, Atlantic, February 2001

The Bronx begins here physically, and it began here historically as well; this was the site of Jonas Bronck's farmhouse. Not much is known about him: he was a Swedish sea captain who was induced to settle the area by the Dutch West India Company. A peace treaty signed at Bronck's house ended years of sporadic but bloody skirmishes between the Dutch and the Weckquasgeeks. —Marcus Laffey, New Yorker, 15 May 2000

Sporadic cases of the disease were reported.

sporadic loud noises kept startling everyone

Recent Examples on the Web

Haze — a cousin of drum legend Buddy Rich — went on to appear in Corman’s 1963 films The Terror and X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes and would have sporadic film and TV roles culminating with the 2010 gangland drama feature Nobody Smiling. —Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2024

Popular on Variety As for adult viewers, they may be engrossed during the sporadic stretches of middling suspense, and impressed by the striking cinematography of Idan Menin, which greatly enhances the movie’s overall impact. —Joe Leydon, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024

The city typically gets a little over 3 inches of rain in October but hadn’t received a drop of rain until sporadic sprinkles tracked through the area Wednesday. —Mary Gilbert, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024

The first of the two cold storm systems brought sporadic showers to the Bay Area on Wednesday. —Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin sporadicus, from Greek sporadikos, from sporadēn here and there, from sporad-, sporas scattered; akin to Greek speirein to sow — more at sperm

First Known Use

circa 1689, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sporadic

• sporadic E layer

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Kids Definition

sporadic

adjective

spo·​rad·​ic spə-ˈrad-ik 

: occurring or done now and then

sporadically

-ˈrad-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

sporadic

adjective

spo·​rad·​ic spə-ˈrad-ik 

1

: occurring occasionally, singly, or in scattered instances

sporadic diseases

compare endemic, epidemic sense 1

2

: arising or occurring randomly with no known cause

sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

sporadically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb