Standard Lemma guide

occasionally

adv · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /əˈkeɪʒənəli/
  • /əˈkeɪʒnəli/
  • /əˈkeɪʒənli/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 K EY1 ZH AH0 N AH0 L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: AH0 K EY1 ZH N AH0 L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 3: AH0 K EY1 ZH AH0 N L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

On occasion: at relatively infrequent intervals, from time to time, sometimes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

On an occasion, accidentally, by chance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

On the occasion of something else happening; incidentally, by the way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

now and then or here and there

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was arrogant and occasionally callous
  • open areas are only occasionally interrupted by clumps of trees
  • they visit New York on occasion
  • now and again she would take her favorite book from the shelf and read to us
  • as we drove along, the beautiful scenery now and then attracted his attention

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: on occasion, once in a while, now and then, now and again, at times, from time to time

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

87 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: երբեմն (erbemn) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Assamese: মাজে মাজে — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Assamese: কেতিয়াবা কেতিয়াবা (ketiaba ketiaba) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Bulgarian: от време на време (ot vreme na vreme) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Bulgarian: понякога (ponjakoga) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Catalan: ocasionalment — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Chinese Cantonese: 耐唔耐 — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Chinese Cantonese: 有時 /有时 (jau5 si4) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Chinese Mandarin: 偶爾 /偶尔 (ǒu'ěr, ǒu'ér) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Chinese Mandarin: 偶然 (ǒurán) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Cornish: treweythyow — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Czech: občas — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Czech: příležitostně — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Dutch: af en toe — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Dutch: wel eens — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Dutch: nu en dan — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Dutch: soms — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Esperanto: okaze — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Esperanto: foje — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Esperanto: fojfoje — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Faroese: viðhvørt — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Faroese: av og á — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Finnish: joskus — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Finnish: välillä — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Finnish: välistä — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Finnish: toisinaan — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • French: occasionnellement — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Georgian: შემთხვევით (šemtxvevit) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • German: gelegentlich — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Greek: περιστασιακά (peristasiaká) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Greek: πού και πού (poú kai poú) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Ancient Greek: σπανίως (spaníōs) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Hausa: rana-rana — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Hungarian: néhanapján — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Hungarian: alkalomadtán — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Hungarian: nagy ritkán — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Hungarian: esetenként — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Hungarian: nagy néha — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Hungarian: alkalmanként — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Irish: fo-uair — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Italian: occasionalmente — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Italian: saltuariamente — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Italian: talvolta — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Japanese: たまに (tamani) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Japanese: 偶に (tamani) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Kabuverdianu: asbês — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Kazakh: рабайда (rabaida) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Kazakh: рабайдабір (rabaidabır) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Korean: 가끔 (gakkeum) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Central Kurdish: جاربەجار (carbecar) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Central Kurdish: جاروبار (carubar) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Ladino: de vez en kuando — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Maltese: okkażjonalment — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Manx: nish as reesht — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Khiamniungan Naga: tīamtīam — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Norwegian: sporadisk — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Norwegian: av og til — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Norwegian: nå og da — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: no og då — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: stundom — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Plautdietsch: enjawiess — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Polish: okazjonalnie — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Portuguese: ocasionalmente — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Romanian: ocazional — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Romanian: câteodată — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Romanian: uneori — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Russian: иногда́ (inogdá) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Russian: и́зредка (ízredka) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Russian: вре́мя от вре́мени (vrémja ot vrémeni) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Scottish Gaelic: uaireannan — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Scottish Gaelic: corra uair — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Serbo-Croatian: povremeno — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Serbo-Croatian: s vremena na vrijeme — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Slovak: príležitostne — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Slovak: občas — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Slovak: zriedkavo — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Slovene: občasno — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Spanish: ocasionalmente — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Spanish: de vez en cuando — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Spanish: a veces — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Swedish: ibland — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Swedish: då och då — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Turkish: ara sıra — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Ukrainian: зрі́дка (zrídka) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Ukrainian: час від ча́су (čas vid čásu) — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Vietnamese: đôi khi — at relatively infrequent intervals
  • Welsh: yn achlysurol — at relatively infrequent intervals
Real reading context

occasionally in complete knowledge articles