sporadically

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /spəˈrædɪkli/ UK /spəˈrædɪkli/ See IPA manual

adv

Meanings

1

adv
occurring at irregular intervals; occasionally and scattered

Rain fell sporadically throughout the afternoon.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · occurring at irregular... occasionally intermittently irregularly infrequently periodically fitfully

Opposites

regularly continuously constantly frequently

Word family

Related forms sporadicspore

Etymology

From sporadic + -ally; sporadic comes from Medieval Latin sporadicus, from Ancient Greek sporadikós ('scattered'), from sporás ('scattered, dispersed'), related to speírein ('to sow').

sporadikós Ancient Greek speírein Ancient Greek

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Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# sporadically

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adv
**IPA (US):** spəˈrædɪkli
**IPA (UK):** spəˈrædɪkli

## Meanings
1. occurring at irregular intervals; occasionally and scattered

## Examples
- Rain fell sporadically throughout the afternoon.

## Synonyms
- occasionally
- intermittently
- irregularly
- infrequently
- periodically
- fitfully

## Antonyms
- regularly
- continuously
- constantly
- frequently

## Related Forms
- sporadic
- spore

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: sporadikós
- Root: speírein

## Etymology
From sporadic + -ally; sporadic comes from Medieval Latin sporadicus, from Ancient Greek sporadikós ('scattered'), from sporás ('scattered, dispersed'), related to speírein ('to sow').

## AI Etymology
Sporadically comes from sporadic + -ally; sporadic comes from Medieval Latin sporadicus, from Ancient Greek sporadikós ('scattered'), from sporás ('scattered, dispersed'), related to speírein ('to sow'). The suffix is part of the word's derivational shape, marking the final grammatical or semantic role while the base supplies the central meaning. As an adverb, it carries the sense "occurring at irregular intervals; occasionally and scattered", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Ancient Greek sporadikós and Ancient Greek speírein. Related words include sporadic, spore.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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