sporadically

adverb

spo·​rad·​i·​cal·​ly spə-ˈra-di-k(ə-)lē 

: in a sporadic manner : not regularly or constantly

gunfire being heard sporadically

software updates that appear sporadically

Originally from the western Pacific Ocean, the shrimp have been spotted sporadically in U.S. waters for the past two decades.

—Rick Jervis

Even when the sun is being well behaved, parcels of plasma shoot sporadically toward Earth's dark side, prompting a bright aurora and intensifying radiation belts.

—Tim Beardsley

Examples of sporadically in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mount Etna has been erupting sporadically for centuries. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 4 June 2025

Colson is technically a one but played that position sporadically in her last three seasons in Las Vegas due to their glut of ballhandlers. —Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 29 May 2025

The characters are too one-dimensional to care about — though we’re sporadically asked to do just that — yet at the same time their cartoonishness isn’t treated with enough gusto to actually be fun. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 23 May 2025

The brand shows sporadically during London Fashion Week, and does not always follow the seasonal calendar. —Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 13 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sporadically

• radically