1
as in sporadic
lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence
the weekend forecast is for occasional showers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in odd
not often occurring or repeated
an occasional mechanical problem with our car, but nothing serious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of occasional
Cobb is a native to Georgia and Hood is from Alabama, and the two have been friends — and occasional collaborators — for the better part of two decades.
—
Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2025
Staff chat in Spanish during the occasional lull between rushes and fresh tortillas perfume the air, making the space feel like a friend’s dining room.
—Edmund Tijerina, Bon Appétit, 27 Feb. 2025
Staff and volunteers who have a bond with Linus have experienced some head butts of affection and occasional cuddles after a long play session.
—Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2025
Amy regularly visits, taking her grandpa out for lunch or the occasional beer.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occasional
Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2025
Staff chat in Spanish during the occasional lull between rushes and fresh tortillas perfume the air, making the space feel like a friend’s dining room.
—Edmund Tijerina, Bon Appétit, 27 Feb. 2025
Staff and volunteers who have a bond with Linus have experienced some head butts of affection and occasional cuddles after a long play session.
—Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2025
Amy regularly visits, taking her grandpa out for lunch or the occasional beer.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occasional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for occasional
Adjective
-
It’s been pretty sporadic and erratic with a bunch of them.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
-
In its initial phase, between 1990 and 2005, pirate attacks were sporadic and contained mostly in the Gulf of Aden.—
Soham Mitra, Lou Robinson and Patrick Gallagher,
CNN,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Also odd is that in some locations Amazon One is being used for age verification.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Unfortunately, my balcony has been an underutilized area due to the odd shape and small size, but that hasn’t deterred me from wanting to find a seating arrangement that works well for my needs and space.—
Rachel Trujillo,
People.com,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
And while some similarly reparative serums require some downtime or intermittent usage, this can be applied mindlessly.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
7 Mar. 2025
-
After the know-nothing county board opts to raze the baseball diamond to make way for a school, the teams meet for one final game at their beloved Soldier’s Field, with girlfriends, kids, and local hooligans as intermittent spectators.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The hefty fish tacos — swordfish, tuna (cooked pretty rare), and wahoo — are served on corn tortillas with cabbage, salsa and a lime crema drizzled on top.—
Kate Murphy,
Axios,
26 Feb. 2025
-
The shock and awe of the deal underscores just how rare truly impactful deals for prominent intellectual property truly are.—
Alex Weprin,
The Hollywood Reporter,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Escaping a sudden, massive flood, a smart, mischievous black cat clambers aboard a boat shared by a dog, a capybara, and a lemur, as well as a long-legged secretary bird.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
2 Mar. 2025
-
As big of a star as The Rock is, his sudden inclusion in Rhodes’ road to WrestleMania seems both forced and unnecessary, especially after their equally strange interaction on Raw’s Netflix premiere.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
This is an isolated incident and not a threat to the public at this time, according to officials.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Organizations must restructure talent development and organizational frameworks to optimize for knowledge integration rather than isolated expertise.—
William Purvis,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Bringing such a case is highly unusual and winning a conviction would be difficult, according to current and former prosecutors.—
Glenn Thrush,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Local meteorologists noted that these events were highly unusual for the region, with historical data showing only sporadic snowfall over the past several decades.—
Jim Foerster,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
History tells us goalie trades have been infrequent over the years, and ones that pay off are even rarer.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Baltimore-area transit riders are asking state lawmakers to consider more funding to improve the region's transit system, which many find to be unreliable and too infrequent for their needs.—
Natalie Jones,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Occasional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occasional. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share