often

often: often, frequently, oft, oftentimes may be used with little or no distinction to mean again and again in more or less close succession. But often stresses the number of times a thing occurs, without regard to the interval of recurrence; frequently usually stresses repetition, especially at short intervals

{
he came often
}

{
he called frequently
}

{
the disease is often fatal
}

{
I frequently examined the color of the snow— Tyndall
}

{
you will often find this to be true
}

{
unless you write me more frequently I shall feel out of touch with you
}

Oft and oftentimes differ little from often; oft, however, is used chiefly in compound adjectives

{
the oft-told tale of her hairbreadth escape— Cerf
}

{
an oft quoted statement
}

or occasionally in formal discourse

{
seemingly trifling events oft carry in their train great consequences— Coolidge
}

and oftentimes is occasionally preferred for intonational reasons

{
a sense of humor which was sometimes loud, oftentimes lewd, but never deliberately unkind— Metalious
}

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Synonyms:

Frequently, repeatedly, many times, oftentimes, ofttimes (poetical)

Look at other dictionaries:

Often — Of ten, a. Frequent; common; repeated. [R.] Thine often infirmities. 1 Tim. v. 23. [1913 Webster] And weary thee with often welcomes. Beau. & Fl. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
often — In current English this is more usually pronounced with the t silent. The comparative forms oftener and oftenest are permissible, although more often and most often are more commonly used … Modern English usage
often — (also archaic or N. Amer. oftentimes) ► ADVERB (oftener, oftenest) 1) frequently. 2) in many instances. USAGE The comparative and superlative forms oftener and oftenest are not incorrect, but are rarely used now in British English, the more usual … English terms dictionary
Often — Of ten ([o^]f n; 115), adv. [Compar. {Oftener} ([o^]f n*[ e]r); superl. {Oftenest}.] [Formerly also ofte, fr. oft. See {Oft}., adv.] Frequently; many times; not seldom. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
often — index chronic Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
often — (adv.) c.1300, extended form of OFT (Cf. oft), originally before vowels and h , probably by influence of M.E. selden seldom. In common use from 16c., replacing oft … Etymology dictionary
often — [adv] frequently again and again, a number of times, generally, many a time, much, oftentimes, ofttimes, over and over, recurrently, regularly, repeatedly, time after time, time and again, usually; concept 541 Ant. infrequently, rarely, seldom … New thesaurus
often — [ôf′ən, äf′ən; ôf′tən, äf′tən] adv. [ME var. of OFT] many times; repeatedly; frequently adj. Archaic frequent … English World dictionary
often — of|ten W1S1 [ˈɔfən, ˈɔftən US ˈo:f ] adv [Date: 1200 1300; Origin: oft] 1.) if something happens often, it happens regularly or many times = ↑frequently ▪ She often works at the weekend. ▪ If you wash your hair too often, it can get too dry. ▪… … Dictionary of contemporary English
often — of|ten [ ɔfn ] adverb *** 1. ) on many occasions or in many situations: Often, students with family problems have difficulties at school. Boredom often leads to bad behavior. The home is often the most likely place in which someone is injured.… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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often

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often

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