oc ‧ ca ‧ sion ‧ al ‧ ly S2 W3 /əˈkeɪʒ ə nəli/ BrE AmE adverb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ occasion ; adverb : ↑ occasionally ; adjective : ↑ occasional ]
sometimes, but not regularly and not often:
Occasionally Alice would look up from her books.
We only see each other very occasionally (=rarely) .
REGISTER
In everyday English, people often say once in a while rather than occasionally :
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We still see her once in a while.
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THESAURUS
▪ sometimes on some occasions but not always:
Sometimes, I wish I was still living in Tokyo.
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He sometimes plays football with my brother.
▪ occasionally ( also on occasion written ) used about something that only happens a few times. Occasionally is used when something happens more rarely than sometimes :
I prefer trousers but I do wear skirts occasionally.
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Occasionally, operations have to be cancelled.
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On occasion, prisoners were allowed visits from their families.
▪ (every) now and then/again ( also from time to time ) sometimes but not often or regularly:
We still call each other every now and then.
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Every now and again, an invention comes along which changes people's lives completely.
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Even experienced doctors make mistakes from time to time.
▪ every so often sometimes at fairly regular periods:
He looked up from his book every so often.
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Every so often, a train whizzed past.
▪ at times if something happens at times, it happens sometimes but is not what usually happens:
The job can be frustrating at times.
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At times I've wondered whether I made the right decision in moving here.
▪ (every) once in a while sometimes but very rarely:
We only see each other every once in a while.