Occasional Meaning

/əˈkeɪʒ(ə)nəl/
B1

Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

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adjOccurring or appearing irregularly from time to time, but not often; incidental.

adjCreated for a specific occasion.

I have occasional pains in the stomach.
We are expecting an occasional rainfall.
He works for us on an occasional basis.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She takes ____ short trips to the beach, usually once a month.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Although I usually take the bus, I make an ____ trip to work by bicycle when the weather is nice.

From Middle English occasyonal, from Medieval Latin occāsiōnālis and Old French ocasionel. By surface analysis, occasion + -al.

"The highway to the East Coast which ran through the borough of Ebbfield had always been a main road and even now, despite the vast garages, the pylons and the gaily painted factory glasshouses which had sprung up beside it, there still remained an occasional trace of past cultures." — 1963, Margery Allingham, “Ebbfield Interlude”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 95:
"But the truth is that plenty of artists from other countries make work that's bold, naughty or nasty, without getting more than a very occasional headline." — 2003 April 17, Blake Gopnik, “Art That Advertises Itself; Saatchi's Ornate New Gallery Pits Young British Artists Against the Establishment”, in Washington Post:

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CEFR Practice Quiz
She takes ____ short trips to the beach, usually once a month.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Although I usually take the bus, I make an ____ trip to work by bicycle when the weather is nice.

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