sporadic

/spəˈrædɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /spəˈrædɪk/ (ame, ipa) · /spə-ˈra-dik/ (ame, mw)

sporadic — adjective

  • sporadicpositive
  • more sporadiccomparative
  • most sporadicsuperlative

1. happening or appearing at uneven, unpredictable times with no steady pattern or

1.形容詞B2
釋義

happening or appearing at uneven, unpredictable times with no steady pattern or regular schedule — for example, sporadic rain that falls in brief bursts hours apart, or sporadic phone calls from a friend who only gets in touch now and then.

例句

Amina's phone calls became sporadic after she moved to a different time zone.

The old truck made sporadic popping noises but never quite broke down.

collocation: sporadic + noises / sounds

同義詞
  • intermittent

    suggests a stop-start pattern that may have some regularity (e.g. intermittent wiper speed)

  • occasional

    softer; suggests something happens from time to time, possibly with a loose routine

  • irregular

    broader term for anything not following a pattern; less specific about unpredictability

  • scattered

    often has a spatial meaning rather than temporal; suggests things spread out across an area

反義詞
  • continuous

    without any break or interruption

  • steady

    happening in a regular, even manner

  • constant

    happening all the time or repeatedly without pause

文法句型

sporadic + noun

be sporadic

用法筆記

Unlike 'occasional' (which can imply a loose but existing routine), 'sporadic' stresses the complete absence of any pattern or regularity. Often used of weather, conflict, communication, or effort.

常見錯誤

❌I take sporadic walks every morning at 7 AM.
✅I take regular walks every morning at 7 AM.
💡A daily fixed routine is the opposite of sporadic.
❌The rain was sporadic all day without stopping.
✅The rain was sporadic
💡it started and stopped unpredictably all day.' — Sporadic implies breaks between occurrences, not continuous activity.