often
[ aw-fuhn, of-uhn; awf-tuhn, of- ]
/ ˈɔ fən, ˈɒf ən; ˈɔf tən, ˈɒf- /
adverb
many times; frequently: He visits his parents as often as he can.
in many cases.
adjective
Archaic.
frequent.
Origin of often
SYNONYMS FOR often
1, 2
repeatedly,
customarily.
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.
pronunciation note for often
Often was pronounced with a
t -sound until the 17th century, when a pronunciation without the
[t] /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] /t/ for many speakers, and today
[aw-fuhn] /ˈɔ fən/ and
[awf-tuhn] /ˈɔf tən/ [or
[of-uhn] /ˈɒf ən/ and
[of-tuhn] /ˈɒf tən/ ] exist side by side. Although it is still sometimes criticized,
often with a
[t] /t/ is now so widely heard from educated speakers that it has become fully standard once again.
OTHER WORDS FROM often
of·ten·ness, nounWords nearby often
British Dictionary definitions for often
often
/ (ˈɒfən, ˈɒftən) /
adverb
frequently or repeatedly; much of the time
Archaic equivalents: oftentimes, ofttimes
as often as not
quite frequently
every so often
at intervals
more often than not
in more than half the instances
adjective
archaic
repeated; frequent
Word Origin for often
C14: variant of
oft before vowels and
h
Idioms and Phrases with often
often
see every now and then (so often); more often than not.