sporadic

Meaning

1. (of diseases) occurring in isolated instances; not epidemic.
2. Rare and scattered in occurrence.
3. Exhibiting random behavior; patternless.
4. Not belonging to any infinite family; an exception to an otherwise orderly classification.

Synonyms

occasional

intermittent

irregular

episodic

sparse

random

fitful

sporadical

fragmentary

scattered

incidental

infrequent

isolated

odd

patchy

patternless

rare

scattering

separate

spasmodic

unconnected

unfocused

unfocussed

scattershot

widely spaced

accidental

non-isochromous

adventitious

anomalous

arbitrary

casual

diffuse

disconnected

disjointed

fortuitous

haphazard

Pronounced as (IPA)

/spəˈɹæd.ɪk/

Etymology

Cognate with French: sporadique

Cognate with Italian: sporadico

Cognate with Spanish: esporádico

In summary

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]”).