OCCASIONAL Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

occasional

adjective

ə-ˈkā-zh(ə-)nəl

Definition of occasional

as in sporadic

lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence the weekend forecast is for occasional showers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in odd

not often occurring or repeated an occasional mechanical problem with our car, but nothing serious

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of occasional The back and forth follows a familiar pattern of resistance to regulation despite occasional tragic collisions on the Chain and Fox River system, which has heavy traffic and more accidents than any other body of water in Illinois. — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026 The two maintained a relationship after their first chat, as Nomo’s job called for occasional check-ins with the Padres’ minor league affiliates. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026 Winfrey has a more subdued take on footwear, her choices consisting of neutral tones with the occasional leopard or snakeskin. — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2026 Supporting systems inside launch facilities also need inspection, repair, and occasional major refurbishment. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for occasional

Recent Examples of Synonyms for occasional

Adjective

While Cannes has been far more sporadic in its support of the form, and Berlin tends to offer quantity at the expense of quality, Venice has consistently brought the bangers — and the 2026 selection looks to be among its best yet.

— Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
The clear-cutting of swaths of trees led to sporadic dust storms while, at night, the data center’s bright white lights can be seen from their homes and obscure the stars, according to the complaint.

— Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of sporadic

Adjective

Only 26% of experts said that intermittent fasting was effective for healthy aging.

— Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026
With intermittent rain in the forecast over the next week, some sessions could be rescheduled or delayed for hours, corralling fans and shortening the time players have to recover for their next round.

— Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of intermittent

Adjective

At low volume, failures are rare enough that the stakes are low.

— Shivansh Inamdar, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
But in a rare moment, the bosses of Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI have come together to support the view that the development of AI models should slow down amid growing fears over the technology's capacity to cause harm.

— Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of rare

Adjective

The scene cuts to Sally and Gillian, who both come to a sudden awareness of Franny’s ultimate act of selflessness.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026
The administration’s justification for these orders is a statute that allows the Department of Energy (DOE) to declare an emergency in the case of wartime or a sudden shortfall in generation.

— John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of sudden

Adjective

There is also optimism that El-Sayed's populist message can attract infrequent and new voters, especially young people.

— Sam Gringlas, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
Studies across the tree of life are finding that genome duplication isn’t exactly an infrequent occurrence.

— Carrie Arnold Contributing, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of infrequent

Browse Nearby Words

occasion

occasional

occasionally

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Style

“Occasional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occasional. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of occasional

adjective

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