PERIODIC Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

periodic

adjective

ˌpir-ē-ˈä-dik

Definition of periodic

as in frequent

appearing or occurring repeatedly from time to time sent out periodic reminders about the office dress code

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in recurrent

occurring or appearing at intervals periodic snow showers that might leave up to an inch

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of periodic El Niño breaks into record territory El Niño is a periodic warming of the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean along the equator that influences weather patterns around the globe. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026 The future of governance is therefore not about eliminating periodic governance reviews. — Ramachander Rao Thallada, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Physical items may eventually be auctioned at periodic live auction events. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026 Residents in one Oak Park neighborhood are navigating construction, road disruptions and periodic water shut-offs as the city works to replace aging water mains. — Hannah McIlree, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for periodic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for periodic

Adjective

Her mother learned to cook from women in Sari, a small city near the coast, when her parents lived there through most of the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq War, when bombing in Tehran was frequent.

— Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
But a press officer with Ukraine’s 93rd mechanized brigade told CNN last month that is no longer an option due to frequent shelling.

— Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of frequent

Adjective

Security training Current TSA regulations require recurrent security training for flight crew and cabin crew members, which includes self-defense training and exercises on how to handle a hijacking.

— Jeff Price, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
The second, given by Stille, enlisted a recurrent theme in Eco’s fiction — how falsehood often trumps truth — to discuss the crisis of liberal democracy and its institutions.

— Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of recurrent

Adjective

For standard regular season games, NFL teams typically keep about 66% of ticket sales revenue, with the other 34% going to the league for its pooled sharing.

— Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 4 Oct. 2026
Centre-2026 is the latest in a series of increasingly regular military activities between China and Russia.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of regular

Adjective

How Recurring Revenue Is The Pump There’s only one kind of funding that reliably shows up in year seven—recurring, unrestricted revenue.

— Sarah Evans, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Excluding non-recurring events, the magnitude of the average S & P 500 earnings surprise for the quarter is still about 11%.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of recurring

Adjective

Midge’s story unfurled in 8-page increments in Naughty Bits, a periodical comic from Fantagraphics anthologizing Gregory’s work, which ran 40 issues from 1991-2004.

— Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Case Study 2 Faked Reviewers Using the screening tools and data available to IEEE periodical editors, an editor in chief was alerted to suspicious reviewer activity.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 30 July 2026

Definition of periodical

Adjective

Lucy’s constant sense of invention sometimes falters under the album’s new, megawatt spotlight, lacking the enticing mystery that gives their best music its power.

— H.D. Angel, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026
Music, which has been the constant all-consuming river of his life, swells him into an adventure that will change him forever.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of constant

Browse Nearby Words

period

periodic

periodical

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Periodic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/periodic. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of periodic

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Luddite

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes