ajoittaisia

Ajoittaisia is a Finnish adjective form meaning sporadic or intermittent. It is used to describe phenomena that occur irregularly or in bursts rather than continuously.

The form ajoittaisia is the partitive plural of ajoittainen, a word built from the base time-related concept aika and related morphemes to convey timing or scheduling. In practice, ajoittaisia describes events or measurements that appear during certain times or intervals rather than as a constant feature.

In scientific and everyday language, ajoittaisia can appear in phrases such as ajoittaisia lämpötilapoikkeamia (sporadic temperature deviations) or ajoittaisia ilmiöitä (sporadic phenomena). It sits between satunnainen (random) and epäsäännöllinen (irregular), suggesting a time-related episodic pattern rather than pure chance.

Usage notes:

- Ajoittaisia often conveys that something happens at irregular times or within specific periods.

- It contrasts with aimlessly random occurrences and with patterns that are strictly periodic or continuous.

See also: sporadic, intermittent, irregular, time-related terminology in Finnish, and related linguistic usages.