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

Into the 20th, the episodic boomed again when serials from Isaac Bashevis Singer, James Joyce, and Armistead Maupin curried fans. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026

In addition to Godzilla, the company is producing several theatrical and episodic projects based on Japanese IP, including Street Fighter, Gundam and Drops Of God Season 2. — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2026

Two weeks ago, Freeform released Coven Academy, a supernatural YA drama that aired on television with standard episodic lengths but then streamed with episodes running between 12 and 23 minutes. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026

All of that aligns the series with a particular strain of reality show in which participants are expected to follow certain patterns of behavior that can be neatly edited into episodic arcs. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for episodic

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