sporadically

Sporadically is an adverb describing an action or event that occurs at irregular, non-continuous intervals rather than on a regular schedule. It refers to occurrences that happen now and then, with long gaps or unpredictable timing, rather than in a steady or repeated pattern.

Etymology: The word derives from Greek sporadikós meaning scattered, from spora or spor- meaning seed; through Latin sporadicus it entered English as sporadic, with sporadically formed as the adverb.

Usage: In everyday language, one might say someone makes sporadic visits or provides sporadic updates. In scientific or statistical contexts, sporadic characterizes occurrences that do not show a recognizable pattern. It is distinct from intermittent, which often implies recurring pauses within a broader pattern, whereas sporadic suggests a more scattered, unpredictable distribution.

Examples and related terms: The outages occurred sporadically during the storm. Sporadic cases of a disease were reported in the region. Related terms include irregular, infrequent, and scattered; antonyms include regular, constant, and continuous. In epidemiology, “sporadic” is used to describe cases that arise singly or in a few isolated instances rather than as part of a widespread outbreak.