occasional
adjective
oc·ca·sion·al
ə-ˈkā-zh(ə-)nəl 
1
a
: of or relating to a particular occasion
a budget able to meet occasional demands as well as regular ones
b
: created for a particular occasion
occasional verse
occasional music
2
: acting as the occasion or contributing cause of something
occasional causes for creating apparent effects
3
: encountered, occurring, appearing, or taken at irregular or infrequent intervals
occasional visitors
an occasional vacation
found occasional errors
occasional episodes of chest pain
4
: acting in a specified capacity from time to time
an occasional lecturer
an occasional essayist
5
: designed or constructed to be used as the occasion demands
occasional furniture
Examples of occasional in a Sentence
She receives occasional phone calls from her mother.
There will be occasional showers during the morning.
Most mornings, we'll see deer or the occasional bear walking past our house.
He tells an occasional joke to keep his students interested.
I need to take occasional breaks from work.
Sure, I drink an occasional glass of wine from time to time.
She's an occasional lecturer at the university.
Recent Examples on the Web
Even their occasional technical difficulties resolved into exhilarating feedback storms.
—
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2025
Winds will increase during the afternoon hours, with occasional gusts to around 15 to 20 mph.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2025
Tom Penn’s empathic drumming and Gabriela García’s occasional ethereal singing provide the soundtrack of French Quarter fear and self-loathing, while Medeleine Girling’s set design consists simply of a wood platform roughly 25 by 25 feet across laying on top of cinderblocks.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2025
But beyond those occasional dashes of inspiration, For Worse is a curiously tepid affair, uninterested in building out the world around Lauren or even in going that deep into Lauren’s feelings.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occasional
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Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2025
Winds will increase during the afternoon hours, with occasional gusts to around 15 to 20 mph.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2025
Tom Penn’s empathic drumming and Gabriela García’s occasional ethereal singing provide the soundtrack of French Quarter fear and self-loathing, while Medeleine Girling’s set design consists simply of a wood platform roughly 25 by 25 feet across laying on top of cinderblocks.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2025
But beyond those occasional dashes of inspiration, For Worse is a curiously tepid affair, uninterested in building out the world around Lauren or even in going that deep into Lauren’s feelings.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for occasional
Cite this Entry
“Occasional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occasional. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
occasional
adjective
oc·ca·sion·al
ə-ˈkāzh-nəl
-ən-ᵊl
1
: of, relating to, or created for a particular occasion
occasional verse
2
: happening, appearing, or met with now and then
an occasional visitor
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