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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in odd

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Experts say that occasional, minor lapses—misplacing items, forgetting a word, or losing your train of thought—are a normal part of the aging process. — Danielle Zickl, HEALTH, 31 Aug. 2026 Both were enthusiastic members of a Presbyterian Church in America youth group called Village Seven; Good was an occasional soloist on the worship team. — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 All three plays share Maya’s signature style of blazing-fast dialogue, crackling humor, occasional lines spoken in Spanish and a quick wrap-up in under two hours. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2026 During my hands-on time with Silver Palace at AnimeNYC and throughout the recent beta, the action-RPG suffered frequent frame drops and occasional crashes. — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for occasional

Recent Examples of Synonyms for occasional

Adjective

Bahrain and Kuwait, which have continued to face sporadic Iranian attacks, will have the lowest staffing of the Gulf embassies, with three-quarters of Foreign Service members returning.

— Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Attacks on Kenscoff have escalated The first major attack on Kenscoff occurred in January 2025, and since then, there have been sporadic attacks in the mountains surrounding the city center.

— Pierre-Richard Luxama, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of sporadic

Adjective

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
The project is designed to turn intermittent solar generation into a more dependable power source.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of intermittent

Adjective

On September 1, Claire Stoermer shared a rare childhood photo of her daughter to celebrate the milestone.

— Hannah Malach, InStyle, 2 Sep. 2026
If the event detected by this team was caused by the rare interaction between two WIMPs, this would tell scientists some things about these currently hypothetical particles.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of rare

Adjective

And at the end of it all, a euphoric fan base, tipsy with its sudden reversal of fortune, belted out a 1976 Abba song in South Florida.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
The model is pulled in ten different directions by different internal product teams, resulting in an interface that suffers from sudden behavioral resets and an inability to smoothly execute complex, multi-turn human requests.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of sudden

Adjective

Flooding rain, gusty winds, storm surge and isolated tornadoes are all possible, according to AccuWeather.

— Cheryl McCloud, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Researchers at the University of Idaho have discovered a new species of spider believed to be living only in an isolated forest area in north-central Idaho.

— Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of isolated

Adjective

While his batting order remains unchanged, the team has made an unusual move, relocating Guerrero's locker to a new spot.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Land exchanges are common elsewhere in the federal government, but exchanging National Park Service land for private development access is unusual, NOTUS reported, citing a former park service official.

— Annie Palmer, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of unusual

Adjective

Unopened soy sauce can be stored in the pantry, but once opened, refrigeration is recommended for infrequent use to maintain quality.

— Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2026
The initiative aims to reach 5 million low-wage, infrequent voters, particularly across the South and in battleground states.

— Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of infrequent

Browse Nearby Words

occasion

occasional

occasionally

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“Occasional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occasional. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of occasional

adjective

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