Occasional
əˈkeɪʒənəl
Definitions
Happening or encountered from time to time; not regular or frequent.
əˈkeɪʒənəl
Happening or appearing at irregular intervals
She makes occasional trips to the library.
💡 Simply: Imagine a friend who only visits every once in a while. That's like 'occasional'! It means something happens sometimes, but not all the time. Like when you only eat pizza every other week or you have an occasional visit from a friend who lives far away.
👶 For kids: Something that happens sometimes, but not all the time. Like when you get to eat ice cream sometimes!
More Examples
We had occasional glimpses of the sun.
There were occasional power outages during the storm.
How It's Used
"The occasional rain shower cooled down the summer heat."
"There were occasional clashes between protesters and police."
From Latin *occasionalis*, derived from *occasio* meaning 'opportunity' or 'chance'. It entered English in the late 16th century.
The word's usage can be found in literature from the 17th century onwards, evolving from its Latin roots.
Memory tip
Think of 'occasions' – they aren't everyday, but they *do* happen!