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
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Recent Examples of occasional
More than 500 performances of 70 different operas at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and occasional neighboring venues, such as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
—
Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
On her latest studio album, Graceland Way, Davis plays her harp in simple fourths, with occasional arpeggios and runs.
—Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
Blessed with wide fields of view, binoculars reveal the night sky beyond the reach of the naked eye, able to give excellent views of large and bright deep-sky objects — including star clusters and nebulas and the occasional galaxy (as well as the star-fields in the arc of the Milky Way).
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Benjamin was fairly successful, booking commercial jobs and the occasional editorial work.
—Rory Satran, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for occasional
Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
On her latest studio album, Graceland Way, Davis plays her harp in simple fourths, with occasional arpeggios and runs.
—Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
Blessed with wide fields of view, binoculars reveal the night sky beyond the reach of the naked eye, able to give excellent views of large and bright deep-sky objects — including star clusters and nebulas and the occasional galaxy (as well as the star-fields in the arc of the Milky Way).
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Benjamin was fairly successful, booking commercial jobs and the occasional editorial work.
—Rory Satran, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for occasional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for occasional
Adjective
-
Flows are narcoleptic, drums are sporadic, and melodies are soft enough to live in a dollhouse.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Still, sporadic cross-border fighting had continued even while delegations from the two sides were attending the talks in Urumqi.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
With it, this is just kind of an odd, unfortunate (especially for the bird) story.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Business major Andrea Lui found the chatbot’s voice to be surprisingly human, but the conversation felt choppy with odd pauses.—
Jocelyn Gecker,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The crew had intermittent toilet trouble from the first day of the mission.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
-
Ways to lower your blood sugar naturally include making lifestyle changes like walking after meals, eating more fiber, and using intermittent fasting.—
Cynthia Sass,
Health,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Earlier in the day, Charles delivered a rare address to a joint session of Congress, highlighting the second day of his four-day state visit and placing the spotlight on the strained but enduring relationship between his country and the United States.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Given the popularity of the show, particularly the fashion, style expert George Kotsiopoulos says being able to own an item that your favorite character wore or had in their home is a rare opportunity.—
Kailyn Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Early in his baseball career, Kaneland pitcher Jack Frey came to a sudden realization.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The turmoil has included the sudden resignation of then-Supt.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Venezuela is not an isolated case.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
-
California has higher electricity prices than every state but Hawaii, which has far more reason for its high prices given its isolated geography.—
Paige Lambermont,
Oc Register,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Wednesday’s game, in particular, ended in extremely bizarre fashion with Xavier Edwards turning an unusual unassisted double play with the bases loaded and Freddie Freeman at the plate.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In an unusual development, the bank published a range of forecasts given the geopolitical uncertainties.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Because the new robots are triggered by heat, they can be activated by predictable sunlight in arid environments where rain is infrequent.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Editors also look for scholarly analysis of public policy and infrequent pieces in which a regular reader finds a fresh and creative voice and deals authoritatively with an issue worthy of general reader attention.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Occasional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occasional. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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