sporadic
/spəˈradɪk
/adjective
Occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated: sporadic fighting broke out...
- Until then, her art had been experimental, uneven, sporadic.
- It all adds up to a very uneven, sporadic film experience.
- This neighborhood is plagued by constant deterioration because of absentee landlords, lack of income to repair homes, few employment opportunities, crime, sporadic city services, and so on.
Synonyms
occasional, infrequent, irregular, periodical, periodic, scattered, patchy, isolated, odd, uneven;
intermittent, spasmodic, on and off, random, fitful, desultory, erratic, unpredictable
Origin
Late 17th century: via medieval Latin from Greek sporadikos, from sporas, sporad- 'scattered'; related to speirein 'to sow'.
This came via medieval Latin from Greek sporadikos ‘scattered’. It is related to speirein ‘to sow’, the source, too, of mid 19th-century spore. The scattering of Greek islands known as the Sporades get their name from the same source.