pe·ri·od·i·cal
ˌpir-ē-ˈä-di-kəl 
2
a
: published with a fixed interval between the issues or numbers
b
: published in, characteristic of, or connected with a periodical
: a periodical publication
Synonyms
Examples of periodical in a Sentence
Adjective
a periodical town newsletter that is supported by local advertisers
periodical announcements from airline personnel concerning the delay
Noun
She writes for a monthly periodical.
The library has a large collection of scholarly periodicals.
Recent Examples on the Web
New York Times, 12 Oct. 2023
Wintery conditions will last through March, the periodical predicts.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2023
While at Stanford, Tatlock wrote for the Western Worker, the Communist Party's west coast periodical.
—Town & Country, 28 July 2023
The periodical forecasts below-average temperatures with lots of snowstorms, sleet, ice and rain throughout the Great Lakes and Midwest.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2023
The agent eventually sold excerpts to The Paris Review and the periodical New World Writing.
—Hillel Italie, ajc, 4 Sep. 2022
That’s the highest total ever measured for sales of periodical comics, graphic novels and digital comics, with just about every segment of the market showing enormous growth.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 5 July 2022
Between 400,000 and 55,000 years ago, these periodical lakes formed and filled at five different times that were associated with the discovery of stone tools.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 1 Sep. 2021
New research tracking the albedo of our planet—its ability to reflect sunlight—has revealed that a complex interplay of periodical weather patterns in the Pacific Ocean affects our overall cloud cover, especially in the sky west of the Americas.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2022
William T. Vollmann, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023
At the time of its initial publication in the late 1960s, the periodical became a beacon for techno-optimists and back-to-the-land hippies.
—Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 13 Oct. 2023
Members collected dues, helped one another place their stories and showcase their work and even contemplated establishing a business and a periodical.
—Lauren Leblanc, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023
Few other academics were writing anything like this for popular periodicals at the time.
—Jordan Michael Smith, The New Republic, 19 Oct. 2023
The delivery standard for first-class mail and periodicals increased from a maximum of three days to a maximum of five.
—Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2023
Peretz’s editors understood the best periodicals are unpredictable, slick, intelligent, and stylish, no matter who occupies the Oval Office.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 12 Aug. 2023
After an unseasonably warm winter last year, the periodical predicts frigid temperatures and snowstorms for much of the country this time around.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2023
Founded in 1951 for those who grout tile and hang cabinets, the periodical was no match for Prince Harry’s memoir or a Stephen King novel.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2023
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Adjective
Hopkins was a literary path-breaker, working as a periodical editor and publisher and as a race-issues novelist when these roles were barely open to women.
—New York Times, 12 Oct. 2023
Wintery conditions will last through March, the periodical predicts.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2023
While at Stanford, Tatlock wrote for the Western Worker, the Communist Party's west coast periodical.
—Town & Country, 28 July 2023
The periodical forecasts below-average temperatures with lots of snowstorms, sleet, ice and rain throughout the Great Lakes and Midwest.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2023
The agent eventually sold excerpts to The Paris Review and the periodical New World Writing.
—Hillel Italie, ajc, 4 Sep. 2022
That’s the highest total ever measured for sales of periodical comics, graphic novels and digital comics, with just about every segment of the market showing enormous growth.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 5 July 2022
Between 400,000 and 55,000 years ago, these periodical lakes formed and filled at five different times that were associated with the discovery of stone tools.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 1 Sep. 2021
New research tracking the albedo of our planet—its ability to reflect sunlight—has revealed that a complex interplay of periodical weather patterns in the Pacific Ocean affects our overall cloud cover, especially in the sky west of the Americas.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2022
Noun
At any rate, the newspaper was awfully thin, as are most American periodicals nowadays, with its thinness spent largely on indoor pronouncements; hence any outdoor death might go unreported, thereby preserving me from knowing about it—bad for my essay but relaxing for my conscience.
—William T. Vollmann, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023
At the time of its initial publication in the late 1960s, the periodical became a beacon for techno-optimists and back-to-the-land hippies.
—Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 13 Oct. 2023
Members collected dues, helped one another place their stories and showcase their work and even contemplated establishing a business and a periodical.
—Lauren Leblanc, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023
Few other academics were writing anything like this for popular periodicals at the time.
—Jordan Michael Smith, The New Republic, 19 Oct. 2023
The delivery standard for first-class mail and periodicals increased from a maximum of three days to a maximum of five.
—Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2023
Peretz’s editors understood the best periodicals are unpredictable, slick, intelligent, and stylish, no matter who occupies the Oval Office.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 12 Aug. 2023
After an unseasonably warm winter last year, the periodical predicts frigid temperatures and snowstorms for much of the country this time around.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2023
Founded in 1951 for those who grout tile and hang cabinets, the periodical was no match for Prince Harry’s memoir or a Stephen King novel.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'periodical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing periodical
Dictionary Entries Near periodical
Cite this Entry
“Periodical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/periodical. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
periodical
1 of 2 adjective
pe·ri·od·i·cal
ˌpir-ē-ˈäd-i-kəl
1
2
: published at regular intervals
periodically
adverb
-k(ə-)lē
periodical
2 of 2 noun
: a periodical publication
More from Merriam-Webster on periodical
Nglish: Translation of periodical for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of periodical for Arabic Speakers
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