episodic

Also ep·i·sod·i·cal

[ep-uh-sod-ik, -zod-]

adjective

1. pertaining to or of the nature of an episode.

2. divided into separate or tenuously related parts or sections; loosely connected.

   an episodic novel.

   Synonyms: digressive, wandering, rambling

3. occurring sporadically or incidentally.

episodic

/ ˌɛpɪˈsɒdɪk /

adjective

1. resembling or relating to an episode

2. divided into or composed of episodes

3. irregular, occasional, or sporadic

Other Word Forms

• episodically adverb
• nonepisodic adjective
• nonepisodical adjective
• nonepisodically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of episodic¹

First recorded in 1705–15; episode + -ic

Example Sentences

And where the earlier shows, notwithstanding soap operatic long arcs, are fundamentally episodic, “Tony & Ziva” is a serial story, stretched over 10 episodes.

From Los Angeles Times

Would I prefer to watch them in an episodic procedural as father-daughter investigators solving crimes from week to week, or doing spy stuff, or cooking together?

From Los Angeles Times

But, in borrowing the familiar format of making-of documentaries, DVD bonus featurettes, even episodic reviews or recaps, they insist on a vision of television as an art worthy of discussion and dissection.

From Los Angeles Times

While the “Fargo” creator had already had success in taking a film and building it out for episodic storytelling, tackling such a beloved sci-fi franchise for this treatment still felt like a huge risk.

From Salon

But that its structure is essentially episodic keeps “Nautilus” colorful and more interesting than if it were simply stretched on the rack of a long arc across its 10 episodes.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• anecdotal 
• disjointed 

When To Use

What does episodic mean?

Episodic describes things that are divided into episodes—parts or installments in a series.The word episode is perhaps most popularly used to refer to one of the parts that a TV series is divided into, as in I’ve seen every single episode of The Office. A TV show is especially described as episodic when each episode is its own standalone story, as in Showrunners are planning to make the reboot more episodic, with each episode being its own adventure. (Of course, many shows have episodes that contain a standalone story that also ties into the bigger narrative.)A more general sense of the word episode refers to a specific incident in a continuous series of events or an occurrence of a recurring event. In this way, episodic can be used to describe things that occur occasionally or at irregular intervals. Similar terms are occasional, irregular, and sporadic.Example: Epilepsy is sometimes described as an episodic disability because seizures happen at irregular intervals.