episodic

adjective

ep·​i·​sod·​ic ˌe-pə-ˈsä-dik 

also

-ˈzä- 

variants or less commonly episodical

ˌe-pə-ˈsä-di-kəl 

 also  -ˈzä-

1

: made up of separate especially loosely connected episodes

2

: having the form of an episode

3

: of or limited in duration or significance to a particular episode : temporary

may be able to establish whether the sea-floor spreading is continuous or episodic

—A. I. Hammond

4

: occurring, appearing, or changing at usually irregular intervals : occasional

an episodic illness

episodically

ˌe-pə-ˈsä-di-k(ə-)lē 

 also  -ˈzä-

adverb

Synonyms

• serial
• serialized

Examples of episodic in a Sentence

the long novel was filmed for television as an episodic movie that was shown over the course of five evenings

malaria is characterized by episodic attacks of chills and fever that coincide with mass destruction of blood cells

Recent Examples on the Web

Organizations that cling to episodic change management will continue to exhaust their people while achieving diminishing returns. —Michael Hudson, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025

Victoria Mahoney, who has directed extensively on episodic television as well as second unit on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, does a polished job and maintains a confident pace. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2025

As our creators have become more sophisticated, a lot of them are starting to develop work that is episodic in nature and has high-quality storytelling that pulls in an audience that follows them over the years. —Josef Adalian, Vulture, 30 June 2025

There’s plenty to enjoy for anyone who loved the episodic adventures Gene Roddenberry delivered in the ’60s. —Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 30 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for episodic

• periodic
• anodic
• melodic
• prosodic
• rhapsodic
• spasmodic
• antispasmodic
• aperiodic
• photoperiodic
• sodic