periodic

periodic — adjective

1. coming or being done again after set or fairly even gaps in time.

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

coming or being done again after set or fairly even gaps in time.

Example

The clinic sends periodic text reminders before each dental checkup.

collocation: periodic reminder / notice / update

Periodic updates were posted on the school website each Monday.

passive: periodic updates were posted

Common collocations
  • periodic checks
  • periodic review
  • periodic repairs
  • periodic payments
  • periodic updates
Synonyms
  • regular

    broader and often stronger; can describe routines, habits, or rules, not only repeated timing

  • recurring

    neutral; means coming back again, with less emphasis on even spacing

  • recurrent

    more formal; especially common for problems, symptoms, or fears that return

  • cyclical

    more technical; stresses movement through a repeating cycle

Antonyms
  • irregular

    happening without an even pattern or fixed spacing

  • occasional

    happening only now and then, usually without a clear cycle

  • continuous

    continuing without breaks, rather than returning in separate stages

Grammar Patterns

periodic + noun

Usage Note

Usually appears before a noun, as in 'periodic reviews', 'periodic checks', and 'periodic payments'. Distinguish it from 'occasional', which suggests irregular timing, and from 'continuous', which means without stopping.

Common Mistakes

We meet periodic to discuss the budget.
We meet periodically to discuss the budget.
After a verb, use the adverb 'periodically', not the adjective 'periodic'.
Her visits are occasional because she comes every Saturday.
Her visits are periodic because she comes every Saturday.
'Periodic' suggests a repeated pattern; 'occasional' suggests no clear schedule.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Periodic' suggests that something returns after fairly even stretches of time, often as part of a schedule or natural cycle. 'Regular' is broader: a regular customer, regular exercise, or a regular bus service may all follow a routine, but they are not always described as periodic. 'Recurring' simply means coming back again, without telling you whether the timing is orderly. 'Recurrent' is more formal and often used for medical or emotional problems that return. 'Occasional' points to the opposite idea: something happens from time to time, but not in a patterned way. So periodic check-ups fit a calendar, while recurring headaches may return unpredictably. You can have periodic payments every month, but only occasional visits from an old friend.

periodic ↗regular ↗recurringrecurrent ↗occasional ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • periodic check
  • periodic review
  • periodic payment
  • periodic update
  • periodic inspection

Adverbs

  • strictly periodic
  • roughly periodic

Phrases

  • at periodic intervals
  • on a periodic basis

Etymology

GreekLate LatinFrenchEnglish

Periodic came into English through French and Late Latin from Greek 'periodikos', based on 'periodos', meaning a circuit or cycle. That history explains why the word still suggests something that comes round again after a stretch of time.