often

[ aw-fuhn, of-uhn; awf-tuhn, of- ]

adverb

1. many times; frequently:

   He visits his parents as often as he can.

   Synonyms: customarily, repeatedly

   Antonyms: seldom

2. in many cases.

   Synonyms: customarily, repeatedly

   Antonyms: seldom

adjective

1. Archaic. frequent.

often

/ ˈɒftən; ˈɒfən /

adverb

1. frequently or repeatedly; much of the time Archaic equivalentsoftentimesofttimes
2. as often as not
   quite frequently
3. every so often
   at intervals
4. more often than not
   in more than half the instances

adjective

1. archaic.
   repeated; frequent

Pronunciation Note

Often was pronounced with a t -sound until the 17th century, when a pronunciation without the [t] came to predominate in the speech of the educated, in both North America and Great Britain, and the earlier pronunciation fell into disfavor. Common use of a spelling pronunciation has since restored the [t] for many speakers, and today [aw, -f, uh, n] and [awf, -t, uh, n] [or [of, -, uh, n] and [of, -t, uh, n] ] exist side by side. Although it is still sometimes criticized, often with a [t] is now so widely heard from educated speakers that it has become fully standard once again.

Other Words From

• often·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of often¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English oftin, variant before vowels of ofte ; oft

Word History and Origins

Origin of often¹

C14: variant of oft before vowels and h

Idioms and Phrases

see every now and then (so often) ; more often than not .

Synonym Study

Often, frequently, generally, usually refer to experiences that are customary. Often and frequently may be used interchangeably in most cases, but often implies numerous repetitions and, sometimes, regularity of recurrence: We often go there; frequently suggests especially repetition at comparatively short intervals: It happens frequently. Generally refers to place and means universally: It is generally understood. He is generally liked; but it is often used as a colloquial substitute for usually. In this sense, generally, like usually, refers to time, and means in numerous instances. Generally, however, extends in range from the merely numerous to a majority of possible instances; whereas usually means practically always: The train is generally on time. We usually have hot summers.

Example Sentences

Consumers often take part in these technologies without fully understanding the implications.

From Los Angeles Times

The impetus behind tariffs is often to level the economic playing field, such as to avoid letting China subsidize production to create monopolies, said Usha Haley, professor of international business at Wichita State University.

From Salon

Seeing how easily Elphaba’s good nature is twisted to fit the agenda of those who seek uniformity and total control is unnervingly parallel to the racist rhetoric so often parroted by conservative mouthpieces.

From Salon

Anti-personnel landmines are explosives which are often concealed on the ground and designed to detonate when people step over or near them.

From BBC

"Our voices are often shut out of the COP29 negotiating rooms. Which means we will get outcomes that don’t reflect the lived realities of women in climate-hit areas," she said.

From BBC

Related Words

• generally
• much
• regularly
• repeatedly
• usually