sporadically
/spəˈrædɪkli/ (bre, ipa) · /spəˈrædɪkli/ (ame, ipa) · /spə-ˈra-di-k(ə-)lē/ (ame, mw)
sporadically — 副詞
1. happening at unpredictable intervals, with long or uneven gaps between events —
偶爾；零星
不規律地發生
happening at unpredictable intervals, with long or uneven gaps between events — not following any fixed or expected schedule
Mei-Lin took piano lessons sporadically, never sticking with them for more than a few months.
Mei-Lin 小時候偶爾上鋼琴課，從未持續超過幾個月。
adverb after verb, describing activity frequency
The old bus service runs sporadically on weekends, sometimes arriving an hour late or not at all.
這趟老舊的公車在週末班次不固定，有時晚到一小時或根本不來。
position: adverb after verb, describing service frequency
Fatima checked her phone sporadically, looking at it only when the meeting grew quiet.
Fatima 在會議中偶爾看一下手機，只有當談話安靜下來時才瞥一眼。
Diego still writes poetry sporadically, whenever a line or an image strikes him.
Diego 仍然偶爾寫詩，每當有句子或意象觸動他時就寫。
Rain falls sporadically in this desert, sometimes skipping an entire year.
這片沙漠偶爾下雨，有時整年都不下一滴雨。
- occasionally
More common and neutral; suggests something happens from time to time but does not emphasise the lack of a pattern as strongly
- intermittently
Suggests stopping and starting repeatedly, often with a regular alternation, which 'sporadically' does not imply
- irregularly
Broader in meaning; can describe any deviation from a norm, not only gaps in time
- regularly
Happening at fixed or predictable intervals
- consistently
Happening in a steady, unchanging way each time
文法句型
sporadically + verb
verb + sporadically
用法筆記
Commonly modifies verbs describing events that happen irregularly. Can appear before the main verb (e.g., 'sporadically attends') or at the end of a clause (e.g., 'rains sporadically').