occasionally
- 01 B1 Intermediate
sometimes, but not regularly or frequently.
at relatively infrequent or irregular intervals; from time to time.
Simple“We still see our old neighbors occasionally for coffee in the park.”
In context“Although the software is generally reliable, it occasionally crashes when processing large video files without sufficient memory.”
UsageAs a frequency adverb, it can be placed before the main verb, at the beginning of a sentence, or at the very end.
Teacher's tipLearners often confuse this with 'sometimes'. Explain that 'occasionally' suggests a lower frequency than 'sometimes' and feels slightly more formal.
PitfallI occasionally go to the gym. I go to the gym occasionally.While both are correct, placing 'occasionally' at the end of the sentence is very common for emphasis. Avoid putting it between a verb and its object.
SynonymsAntonyms
“Subtitled Sects, Trance and Rock’n’Roll, this good-natured, funny and occasionally rousing documentary portrait details them all.”
“The answer comes in this chaotic, heavy-handed, self-indulgent, occasionally funny, zero-budget documentary, shot entirely in Six’s Amsterdam apartment – a lo-fi rant that he is uploading online on a pay-what-you-want basis.”
From Middle English occasionally, occasionaly, occasyoneely, occasyonly, equivalent to occasional + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.