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

• 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

Although access is limited, occasional special tours allow visitors to glimpse the staggering quantity of bullion stored below ground. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

Colorado and Arizona State offer little more than an occasional flash. —Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 28 June 2025

Allegedly set between Episode III and IV, with some occasional flashback episodes, the series would delve into aspects of the Star Wars universe that hadn't been explored before, such as different criminal factions operating across Coruscant. —Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 28 June 2025

The Bear has almost always been able to make great use of its guest stars, from recurring figures like Jon Bernthal and Jamie Lee Curtis to occasional surprise players like Bob Odenkirk and Brie Larson. —Marah Eakin, Vulture, 27 June 2025

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