Word
sporadic
Phoneticsspo·radic
US/spɝˈædɪk/
UK/spɔːɹˈædɪk/
Definitions
01happening occasionally
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. happening sometimes, but not regularly or often.
adj. occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; having no set plan or order.
“We heard sporadic gunfire in the distance throughout the night.”
“The project suffered from sporadic funding, which prevented the team from maintaining a consistent development schedule over the three-year period.”
Synonyms
02isolated disease cases
C1 · Advanced Medicine Technical
adj. describes a disease that appears in just a few people or places, rather than spreading everywhere.
adj. occurring in isolated instances; not widely diffused or epidemic in nature.
“The doctors reported only sporadic cases of the flu this summer.”
“Public health officials monitored the sporadic outbreaks of the virus to ensure they did not coalesce into a full-scale epidemic.”
03mathematical exceptions
C2 · Proficiency Mathematics Technical
adj. describes a mathematical object that does not fit into a regular group or family.
adj. denoting an object that does not belong to any infinite family of similar objects; an exception to a general classification.
“The sporadic groups in mathematics are rare and do not follow the usual patterns.”
“The classification of finite simple groups revealed twenty-six sporadic groups that exist outside the four main infinite families.”
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“He had only sporadic contact with his daughters as they grew up.” “Through sporadic radio contact, engineers discovered a problem with some of the spacecraft’s cold gas thrusters used for finer attitude control.” “Airing new episodes five days a week, the programs could dive into these subjects at greater length than the sporadic “very special episodes” devoted to the topics on primetime TV.” Etymology
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]”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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