occasional

adjective

oc·​ca·​sion·​al ə-ˈkā-zh(ə-)nəl 

1

a

: of or relating to a particular occasion

a budget able to meet occasional demands as well as regular ones

b

: created for a particular occasion

occasional verse

occasional music

2

: acting as the occasion or contributing cause of something

occasional causes for creating apparent effects

3

: encountered, occurring, appearing, or taken at irregular or infrequent intervals

occasional visitors

an occasional vacation

found occasional errors

occasional episodes of chest pain

4

: acting in a specified capacity from time to time

an occasional lecturer

an occasional essayist

5

: designed or constructed to be used as the occasion demands

occasional furniture

Synonyms of occasional

• sporadic
• intermittent
• sudden

Examples of occasional in a Sentence

She receives occasional phone calls from her mother.

There will be occasional showers during the morning.

Most mornings, we'll see deer or the occasional bear walking past our house.

He tells an occasional joke to keep his students interested.

I need to take occasional breaks from work.

Sure, I drink an occasional glass of wine from time to time.

She's an occasional lecturer at the university.

Recent Examples on the Web

Medics and nurses here do simulations often, both to pass the Critical Care Academy, and also to stay up to date on occasional but critical events, like emergency births, newborn resuscitation, and burns. — Elaine Appleton-Grant, NPR, 8 Nov. 2026

But for Mao, the occasional allergic reaction is apparently a small price to pay for some quality cat time. — CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026

About the series This is the third this year in an occasional series on 2026 winners of the annual WaterSmart Landscape Contest, conducted in partnership with the San Diego County Water Authority. — Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026

As more wind and solar power enters electricity grids, turning occasional surpluses into dependable heat could become an important part of making renewable energy work around the clock. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English occasyonal "occurring at intervals," borrowed from Medieval Latin occāsiōnālis "opportune, incidental," from occāsiōn-, occāsiō occasion entry 1 + Latin -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for occasional

• equational

Kids Definition

occasional

adjective

oc·​ca·​sion·​al ə-ˈkāzh-nəl 

-ən-ᵊl

1

: of, relating to, or created for a particular occasion

occasional verse

2

: happening, appearing, or met with now and then

an occasional visitor