Dictionary

occasionally en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /əˈkeɪʒənəli/
• /əˈkeɪʒnəli/
• /əˈkeɪʒənli/
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English occasionally, occasionaly, occasyoneely, occasyonly, equivalent to occasional + -ly.

Meanings

1. On occasion: at relatively infrequent intervals, from time to time, sometimes.
   • Some perhaps worship only on alternate Sundays; others still more occasionally. 1855, Horace Mann, “On the Statistical Position of Religious Bodies in England and Wales”, in Journal of the Statistical Society of London, volume 18, number 2, page 152:
   • God ſetteth no houres for the morning or evening ſacrifice because they may occaſionally be changed. 1639, Henry Ainsworth, Annotations Upon the Five Books of Moses, the Book of the Psalmes and the Song of Songs, page 177:
   • Flames could still be seen from town flaring up occasionally on a hill dotted with emergency vehicles. 2007 August 17, Matt Gouras/AP, “Wildfires Rage in Montana”, in Time:
   • The journal, more occasionally, has turned to what might be called "fashionable" themes. 1978, Stephen R. Graubard, “Twenty Years of 'Daedalus'”, in Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, volume 32, number 3, page 18:
2. (obsolete) On an occasion, accidentally, by chance.
   • Mr Tourville occasionally told his age; just turned of thirty-one. 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter CLXI”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn, […], →OCLC:
   • I had met Lord Ossory in the forenoon, who had come to town occasionally. 1790, James Boswell, in Danziger & Brady (eds.), Boswell: The Great Biographer (Journals 1789–1795), Yale 1989, p. 103
   • [N]othing gave him so much joy in conversation, as an opportunity of giving the company to understand, how well he was with persons of distinguished rank and character: he would often (for example) observe, as it were occasionally, that the duke of G— was one of the best natured men in the world […]. 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:
3. (obsolete) On the occasion of something else happening; incidentally, by the way.
   • I think it is plain, that Origen, whatever Character he may have occaſionally given of this Book, did not judge it any part of the Canon... 1619, John Richardson, John Toland, The Canon of the New Testament Vindicated, page 30:
   • Were nothing els diſcourſively inſerted (as ſome little elſe occaſionally preſented it ſelfe), what paper more currently fit for the bareſt mechanicall uſes, [...] 1588, G[abriel] H[arvey], “The Fourth Letter. To the Same Favourable or Indifferent Reader.”, in J[ohn] P[ayne] C[ollier], editor, Fovre Letters, and Certaine Sonnets, […] (Miscellaneous Tracts Temp. Eliz. & Jac. I), [London]: [s.n.], published [1870], →OCLC, page 56:

Forms

Antonyms

rarely · usually

Hypernyms

specifically

Relateds

frequency · unreliably · flakily · unusually

Synonyms

while · sporadically · whilom · irregularly · occasionally · once in a while · intermittently · every now and then · from time to time · now and then · uncommonly · on occasion · sometimes · ever and anon · now and again · every once in a while · at times · every so often

Translations (89)

eo okaze (at relatively infrequent intervals) · fi välistä (at relatively infrequent intervals) · cmn 偶爾 /偶尔 (at relatively infrequent intervals) · fo av og á (at relatively infrequent intervals) · gv nish as reesht (at relatively infrequent intervals) · kix tīamtīam (at relatively infrequent intervals) · sh povremeno (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ga fo-uair (at relatively infrequent intervals) · nl nu en dan (at relatively infrequent intervals) · hu nagy néha (at relatively infrequent intervals) · fr occasionnellement (at relatively infrequent intervals) · uk час від ча́су (at relatively infrequent intervals) · nn stundom (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ckb جاربەجار (at relatively infrequent intervals) · no sporadisk (at relatively infrequent intervals) · pl okazjonalnie (at relatively infrequent intervals) · it saltuariamente (at relatively infrequent intervals) · sl občasno (at relatively infrequent intervals) · el περιστασιακά (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ro câteodată (at relatively infrequent intervals) · cy yn achlysurol (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ar أَحْيَانًا (at relatively infrequent intervals) · sk príležitostne (at relatively infrequent intervals) · eo fojfoje (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ru вре́мя от вре́мени (at relatively infrequent intervals) · es a veces (at relatively infrequent intervals) · es ocasionalmente (at relatively infrequent intervals) · eo foje (at relatively infrequent intervals) · nn no og då (at relatively infrequent intervals) · yue 耐唔耐 (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ja 偶に (at relatively infrequent intervals) · as কেতিয়াবা কেতিয়াবা (at relatively infrequent intervals) · grc σπανίως (at relatively infrequent intervals) · hu alkalomadtán (at relatively infrequent intervals) · sk zriedkavo (at relatively infrequent intervals) · cs občas (at relatively infrequent intervals) · bg от време на време (at relatively infrequent intervals) · vi đôi khi (at relatively infrequent intervals) · kk рабайда (at relatively infrequent intervals) · uk зрі́дка (at relatively infrequent intervals) · no av og til (at relatively infrequent intervals) · kw treweythyow (at relatively infrequent intervals) · es de vez en cuando (at relatively infrequent intervals) · cmn 偶然 (at relatively infrequent intervals) · de gelegentlich (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ha rana-rana (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ru иногда́ (at relatively infrequent intervals) · yue 有時 /有时 (at relatively infrequent intervals) · hu alkalmanként (at relatively infrequent intervals) · fi joskus (at relatively infrequent intervals) · kea asbês (at relatively infrequent intervals) · nl soms (at relatively infrequent intervals) · nl wel eens (at relatively infrequent intervals) · tr ara sıra (at relatively infrequent intervals) · hy երբեմն (at relatively infrequent intervals) · it occasionalmente (at relatively infrequent intervals) · bg понякога (at relatively infrequent intervals) · pdt enjawiess (at relatively infrequent intervals) · el πού και πού (at relatively infrequent intervals) · it talvolta (at relatively infrequent intervals) · fo viðhvørt (at relatively infrequent intervals) · hu esetenként (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ka შემთხვევით (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ca ocasionalment (at relatively infrequent intervals) · fi toisinaan (at relatively infrequent intervals) · sk občas (at relatively infrequent intervals) · nl af en toe (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ro uneori (at relatively infrequent intervals) · gd corra uair (at relatively infrequent intervals) · hu nagy ritkán (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ja たまに (at relatively infrequent intervals) · mt okkażjonalment (at relatively infrequent intervals) · pt ocasionalmente (at relatively infrequent intervals) · aeb كُلّْ مَرَّة وْ كِيفَاشْ (at relatively infrequent intervals) · sh s vremena na vrijeme (at relatively infrequent intervals) · sv då och då (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ru и́зредка (at relatively infrequent intervals) · kk рабайдабір (at relatively infrequent intervals) · cs příležitostně (at relatively infrequent intervals) · fi välillä (at relatively infrequent intervals) · hu néhanapján (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ro ocazional (at relatively infrequent intervals) · no nå og da (at relatively infrequent intervals) · lad de vez en kuando (at relatively infrequent intervals) · gd uaireannan (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ckb جاروبار (at relatively infrequent intervals) · as মাজে মাজে (at relatively infrequent intervals) · sv ibland (at relatively infrequent intervals) · ko 가끔 (at relatively infrequent intervals)