occasional order

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "occasional order" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe an order that is placed infrequently or not on a regular basis. Example: "We appreciate your occasional order, as it helps us maintain a diverse inventory."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Often these films are stocked a few cassettes at a time to fill the occasional order.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

But it was a small house that they let go to ruin, and a minor swindler who swindled them, and what one felt was less the universal tragedy of death than the intense, stifling narrowness of a life spent counting pennies and taking occasional orders from the Communist Party.

The New York Times - Books

Apart from a few occasional orders these are the reasons that still maintain the artisanal production of bobbin lace.

Procedia Manufacturing

(The others may require an occasional restraining order).

The New York Times

Leif Gustafson was a taciturn old Swede who'd ignored the assistants as much as possible outside of the occasional barked order.

The New Yorker

While they generally make healthful choices because that's what feels best to their bodies (and thus that's what they legitimately want) they're not sent into a frenzy when they do eventually have a bite of dessert or the occasional side order of fries.

Huffington Post

"But it still doesn't control the occasional high-order multiple," Dr. Soules said, adding that he believes in vitro fertilization is safer.

The New York Times

Pairing in A. hypogaea is generally bivalent, with occasional higher-order associations found in crosses among different market types [ 8].

BMC Plant Biology

He was not above pulling the occasional stunt in order to ensure that he, or his staff, beat rivals to the story.

The Guardian

"The individual," Safety Pays says in its advertising brochure, "who at one time alleged the occasional 'backache' in order to get a couple of extra days off will be hard-pressed to do so when his co-workers are anticipating a financial windfall by winning a jackpot".

The New York Times

It's been a death by a million cuts as the company has fiddled with its pricing structure and moved the goal posts of movie access, while experiencing the occasional outage in order to address on-going money concerns.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "occasional order" to indicate that something is not part of a standard or routine process.

Common error

Avoid using "occasional order" when you actually mean a 'one-time order' or a 'rare order'. "Occasional" implies a slightly higher frequency than something that happens only once or almost never.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "occasional order" functions as a noun phrase, where "occasional" modifies the noun "order". It indicates that the order is not a regular or frequent occurrence. As Ludwig AI suggests, this is a correct and usable phrase in written English.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

32%

Science

32%

Wiki

9%

Less common in

Formal & Business

7%

Encyclopedias

6%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "occasional order" is a grammatically sound and usable expression signifying that an order is placed infrequently. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and the examples indicate it's used across various domains, including news, science, and general writing. While contexts such as "News & Media" and "Science" dominate, other areas appear as well. Alternative expressions like "sporadic order" or "infrequent order" can provide similar meaning with subtle shifts in emphasis.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

sporadic order

Replaces "occasional" with "sporadic", emphasizing the irregular nature of the order.

infrequent order

Substitutes "occasional" with "infrequent", highlighting the low frequency of the order.

irregular order

Emphasizes the lack of a fixed pattern for the order.

periodic order

Suggests the order appears at certain intervals, though not necessarily regular.

isolated order

Highlights the order as a single, separate instance.

one-off order

Implies a single instance, not expected to be repeated.

uncommon order

Focuses on the rareness of the order.

exceptional order

Suggests the order is unusual or deviates from the norm.

intermittent order

Highlights the stopping and starting nature of the ordering.

casual order

Implies the order is placed without much planning or formality.

FAQs

How can I use "occasional order" in a sentence?

You can use "occasional order" to describe a purchase or request that happens infrequently. For example, "We appreciate your occasional order, even though it's not a regular one."

What's a good alternative to "occasional order"?

Depending on the context, you could use "sporadic order", "infrequent order", or "irregular order".

Is "occasional order" formal or informal?

"Occasional order" is suitable for both formal and informal contexts, as it's a neutral and straightforward phrase.

What does "occasional order" imply about the customer?

It suggests that the customer places orders infrequently and is not a regular or frequent buyer.