SPORADIC Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'sporadic' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of sporadic are infrequent , rare , scarce , and uncommon . While all these words mean "not common or abundant," sporadic implies occurrence in scattered instances or isolated outbursts. // sporadic cases of influenza

Q: When is it sensible to use 'infrequent' instead of 'sporadic'?

Although the words infrequent and sporadic have much in common, infrequent implies occurrence at wide intervals in space or time. // infrequent family visits

Q: When is 'rare' a more appropriate choice than 'sporadic'?

The meanings of rare and sporadic largely overlap; however, rare suggests extreme scarcity or infrequency and often implies consequent high value. // rare first editions

Q: Where would 'scarce' be a reasonable alternative to 'sporadic'?

While the synonyms scarce and sporadic are close in meaning, scarce implies falling short of a standard or required abundance. // jobs were scarce during the Depression

Q: When would 'uncommon' be a good substitute for 'sporadic'?

The synonyms uncommon and sporadic are sometimes interchangeable, but uncommon suggests a frequency below normal expectation. // smallpox is now uncommon in many countries

sporadic

adjective

spə-ˈra-dik

Definition of sporadic

as in occasional

lacking in steadiness or regularity of occurrence sporadic loud noises kept startling everyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in infrequent

not often occurring or repeated so long as the complaints remain sporadic, we're doing fine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sporadic distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of sporadic are infrequent, rare, scarce, and uncommon. While all these words mean "not common or abundant," sporadic implies occurrence in scattered instances or isolated outbursts.

sporadic cases of influenza

When is it sensible to use infrequent instead of sporadic?

Although the words infrequent and sporadic have much in common, infrequent implies occurrence at wide intervals in space or time.

infrequent family visits

When is rare a more appropriate choice than sporadic?

The meanings of rare and sporadic largely overlap; however, rare suggests extreme scarcity or infrequency and often implies consequent high value.

rare first editions

Where would scarce be a reasonable alternative to sporadic?

While the synonyms scarce and sporadic are close in meaning, scarce implies falling short of a standard or required abundance.

jobs were scarce during the Depression

When would uncommon be a good substitute for sporadic?

The synonyms uncommon and sporadic are sometimes interchangeable, but uncommon suggests a frequency below normal expectation.

smallpox is now uncommon in many countries

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 sporadic Customers increasingly found their once-beloved store stocked with sporadic, often sparse assortments in their favorite categories. — Rachel Felder, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2026 Foreigners have also experienced sporadic outbursts of xenophobic violence. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026 Others look further back to early and sporadic insurgent activity in 1964, before the UDI, or to 1965, the year of the UDI (November 11) itself. — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026 The dazzling foliage of ‘Kaleidoscope’ Abelia is accented by a flush of fragrant white blooms in spring and sporadic flowers throughout summer and fall. — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sporadic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sporadic

Adjective

The New Braunfels, Texas, resident kept a frenetic touring schedule, headlining major Texas venues and mid-sized dance halls around the country, with occasional arena or amphitheater stops opening for Koe Wetzel thrown in.

— Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2026
That could make removing space junk a routine service rather than an occasional experiment.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of occasional

Adjective

People went through the admission and security checkpoints without issues, and the event’s early evening acts enjoyed mostly dry stages with light, intermittent rain.

— Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
Ohtani has been playing with a bad knee and biceps for three months, and the Dodgers already have tried intermittent rest.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of intermittent

Adjective

Climate change also brings increasingly erratic storm systems, heat and rainfall patterns that leave standing water, creating conditions ideal for mosquitoes to breed.

— Kylee Rae Noel, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026
Baseball is an ensemble game, a wildly erratic sport to predict.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of erratic

Adjective

Lucy leaves their countryside home with Johnny immediately, going straight to her mother’s house ( Catherine Deneuve plays mom), but avoids telling her, or anyone else, the specifics of this sudden separation.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
All of a sudden, the war took on a more present form, unsettling a kingdom unused to conflicts playing out on home turf.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of sudden

Adjective

In addition to low blood oxygen levels and low blood pressure, a pulmonary embolism can affect the heart, causing a fast or irregular heart rate, right-sided heart failure or sudden cardiac arrest.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Phobos landing plans Phobos stretches about 14 miles across and has an irregular, potato-like shape.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of irregular

Browse Nearby Words

spoors

sporadic

sporadically

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Style

“Sporadic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sporadic. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sporadic

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