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 of episodic

• 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

Jaylin Holmes, who plays for the Washington Commanders, in January had an episodic pilot make its premiere at Sundance. —Brian Welk, IndieWire, 10 Mar. 2026

The Righteous Gemstones won for best episodic comedy. —Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 8 Mar. 2026

Participants will take part in mentorship and leadership training designed to strengthen communication skills, on-set authority and other tools necessary to navigate episodic television production. —Kennedy French, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026

The fluctuations hint at an episodic, external source—potentially eruptions from a sort of super-Io satellite being tidally squeezed by its hefty planetary host. —Phil Plait, Scientific American, 27 Feb. 2026

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