Synonym Chooser

How is the word sporadic distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of sporadic are infrequent, rare, scarce, and uncommon. While all these words mean "not common or abundant," sporadic implies occurrence in scattered instances or isolated outbursts.

sporadic cases of influenza

When is it sensible to use infrequent instead of sporadic?

Although the words infrequent and sporadic have much in common, infrequent implies occurrence at wide intervals in space or time.

infrequent family visits

When is rare a more appropriate choice than sporadic?

The meanings of rare and sporadic largely overlap; however, rare suggests extreme scarcity or infrequency and often implies consequent high value.

rare first editions

Where would scarce be a reasonable alternative to sporadic?

While the synonyms scarce and sporadic are close in meaning, scarce implies falling short of a standard or required abundance.

jobs were scarce during the Depression

When would uncommon be a good substitute for sporadic?

The synonyms uncommon and sporadic are sometimes interchangeable, but uncommon suggests a frequency below normal expectation.

smallpox is now uncommon in many countries

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 sporadic The Donald who hams it up in sporadic appearances on Sarah’s comedy specials and series. Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2025 This sporadic approach confuses both your audience and the LinkedIn algorithm. Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025 Unfortunately, those days are more sporadic and like Hernandez, resembles little to the player who dragged Milan over the line three years ago to steal an unlikely league title. Emmet Gates, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025 Those moments have grown more sporadic in recent months, with Watkins no longer looked to as Villa’s key source of goals. Mark Carey, New York Times, 12 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for sporadic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sporadic
Adjective
  • Because geniuses tend not to specialize in things like picking up after themselves, the human price is often paid by a long-suffering partner-secretary—wifely figures like Véra Nabokov, Sophia Tolstoy, and Alice B. Toklas, or the occasional husband like Leonard Woolf.
    S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
  • But such readings can hardly account for the urgency, and occasional stridency, of le Carré’s post-Cold War novels.
    Rav Grewal-Kök June 16, Literary Hub, 16 June 2025
Adjective
  • After intermittent closures last week, the intersection opened and the new signal system turned on Thursday.
    Kathryn Kovalenko, Twin Cities, 6 June 2025
  • While the tech industry is also using solar and wind power, their intermittent nature means stable electricity supplies generated by nuclear reactors — but also coal and natural gas — is in high demand.
    Bloomberg News, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
Adjective
  • According to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, the team's complaint is due to erratic driving behind the safety car and not leaving an appropriate gap.
    Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
  • And some erratic vibrations were detected at points last week as the stark outperformance of year-to-date laggards over the top 2025 performers prompted some comparisons to the nasty momentum-stock reversal of February and March that upset the market well before the tariff panic.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 14 June 2025
Adjective
  • Keep a safe distance: Leave a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you to account for sudden stops or changes in the traffic pattern.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 6 June 2025
  • After Earps’ announcement, Wiegman was asked what her long-time goalkeeper’s sudden international retirement two months before a major tournament said about the unity of the team.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • But bypassing multiple periods or having irregular ones could also be a sign of a hormonal disorder—like a thyroid problem or a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)—that’s interfering with your cycle in ways that could risk your health.
    Erica Sloan, SELF, 3 June 2025
  • Both candidates are using migration in Poland as a core campaign issue. Migration, particularly irregular migration, is one of the dominant issues in the country, particularly with regards to the war in Ukraine and Poland’s eastern border with Belarus.
    Frey Lindsay, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sporadic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sporadic. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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