sporadic
adj.adj. happening at irregular times or only in a few places. It describes something that does not follow a steady pattern and has no set schedule.
adj. occurring at irregular intervals or in scattered instances; lacking a consistent pattern or frequency.
The city experienced sporadic rain showers throughout the afternoon.
Despite the ceasefire, sporadic gunfire could still be heard in the distance during the night.
The researcher noted that while the symptoms were sporadic and difficult to predict, they appeared to correlate with sudden changes in the local atmospheric pressure.
From Medieval Latin sporadicus (whence also French sporadique, Italian sporadico, Spanish esporádico), from Ancient Greek σποραδικός (sporadikós), from σποράς (sporás, “scattered, dispersed”), from σπορά (sporá), σπόρος (spóros, “a sowing [of seed]”).
Often used to describe sounds, events, or physical phenomena that lack a rhythmic or predictable sequence.