Sporadic
/spəˈrædɪk/
Definitions
Occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated.
/spəˈrædɪk/
The power outages were sporadic, lasting only a few minutes each time.
💡 Simply: Imagine a popcorn machine that only pops a few kernels at a time, not all at once. Sporadic means things happen in a scattered and irregular way, like the popcorn.
👶 For kids: Happening sometimes, but not all the time. Like when it rains, it's not always raining.
More Examples
Sporadic applause broke out during the performance.
The company experienced sporadic successes over the past year.
How It's Used
"There were sporadic showers throughout the day."
"The disease occurs sporadically in this region."
"Sporadic gunfire was heard throughout the night."
Synonyms
From Late Latin sporadicus, from Greek sporadikós (“scattered, dispersed”), from sporá (“a scattered thing, seed”).
The word sporadic has been used since the mid-17th century to describe things that occur occasionally and not in a regular pattern. It was initially used in medical contexts to describe diseases.
Memory tip
Think of seeds (sporá) being scattered, popping up in different spots randomly. Sporadic events are like those seeds.