periodic

adjective

pe·​ri·​od·​ic ˌpir-ē-ˈä-dik 

1

a

: occurring or recurring at regular intervals

b

: occurring repeatedly from time to time

2

a

: consisting of or containing a series of repeated stages, processes, or digits : cyclic

periodic decimals

a periodic vibration

b

: being a function any value of which recurs at regular intervals

3

: expressed in or characterized by periodic sentences

Synonyms of periodic

• frequent
• regular
• repeated
• periodical
• constant

Examples of periodic in a Sentence

He takes the car in for periodic oil changes.

sent out periodic reminders about the office dress code

Recent Examples on the Web

The men and women, both of whom split their home games between Hartford and M&T Bank Center at Gampel Pavilion on campus, have staged periodic doubleheaders in the years since, when schedules intersected. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026

The ranch offers periodic whole- and half-animal shares, and also has an on-site store at 1605 Cook Rd. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026

The Finnish firm Posiva will also need to submit periodic safety assessments every decade. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026

That restraint, even if disrupted by periodic rounds of fighting with Hamas, endeared Netanyahu to mainstream Israelis, who could pretend that the conflict was a thing of the past and all but forget about the Palestinians. — Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing periodic

• periodic acid
• periodic law
• periodic sentence
• periodic table

Rhymes for periodic

• anodic
• helladic
• melodic
• prosodic
• rhapsodic
• spasmodic
• antispasmodic
• aperiodic
• episodic
• modoc
• sodic
• photoperiodic

Kids Definition

periodic

adjective

pe·​ri·​od·​ic ˌpir-ē-ˈäd-ik 

1

: occurring at regular intervals

2

: consisting of or containing a series of repeated stages

periodic vibrations

Medical Definition

periodic

adjective

pe·​ri·​od·​ic ˌpir-ē-ˈäd-ik 

: occurring or recurring at regular intervals

periodic epidemics