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