often
[adverb]
Synonyms: frequently, generally, repeatedly, time and again

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Antonyms: seldom
Contrasted words: infrequently, rarely, now and then, occasionally
Related Idioms: a number of times, many a time, many times over, time and time again

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English Thesaurus: often, a lot, frequently, regularly, again and again, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

of‧ten S1 W1 /ˈɒfən, ˈɒftən $ ˈɒːf-/ adverb
[Date: 1200-1300; Origin: oft]

1. if something happens often, it happens regularly or many times Synonym : frequently:
She often works at the weekend.
If you wash your hair too often, it can get too dry.
How often do you see your parents?
quite/very often
I quite often go to Paris on business.
Robin is a difficult child; you’ve said so yourself often enough (=a lot of times).
it is not often (that)
It’s not often that a government minister will admit to being wrong.

2. if something happens often, it happens in many situations or cases:
It’s often difficult to translate poetry.
very/quite often
Very often children who behave badly at school have problems at home.

3. all too often (also only too often) used to say that something sad, disappointing, or annoying happens too much:
All too often doctors are too busy to explain the treatment to their patients.
This type of accident happens only too often.

4. every so often sometimes:
An inspector comes round every so often to check the safety equipment.

5. as often as not (also more often than not) spoken usually:
More often than not the train is late.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

often
adverb
BAD: Often people stop smoking when they are ill.
GOOD: People often stop smoking when they are ill.
BAD: He often has said that he would like to be young again.
GOOD: He has often said that he would like to be young again.
BAD: The trains often are late.
GOOD: The trains are often late.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

often used when saying that something happens many times:
Gary was often bad-tempered in the morning.
We often meet up for a drink after work.
a lot informal often:
I think she likes him – she talks about him a lot.
His wife goes abroad on business a lot.
frequently especially written often – used especially in writing or more formal English:
Passengers complain that trains are frequently late.
Older patients frequently forget to take their medicine.
regularly often, especially at regular intervals:
Buses run regularly every ten minutes.
again and again used to emphasize that someone does something many times, or the same thing happens many times:
She told herself again and again that everything would be all right.
Gunfire rang out across the city again and again.
repeatedly especially written used to emphasize that someone does something many times:
His doctor had repeatedly warned him not to work so hard.
constantly/continually often over a long period of time – used especially about something that is annoying or causes problems:
They seem to be continually arguing.
It’s hard to keep up with technology when it’s constantly changing.
time and time again many times – used when this is annoying or does not have any effect:
He forgets his keys time and time again.
I tell students time and time again to keep careful notes.
tend to do something to often do a particular thing and be likely to do it:
Dave tends to arrive late so don’t worry.
Girls tend to be better at languages than boys.
have a tendency to do something to often do something, especially something that is not good, and be more likely to do it than other people or things:
Some people have a tendency to put on weight.
This type of cloth has a tendency to shrink.
be inclined to do something to do something fairly often or be fairly likely to do it, especially because this is part of your character:
Teenage boys are inclined to take risks.
She was inclined to giggle in class.
have a habit of doing something used when saying that something has happened many times before and is likely to happen again:
Ben had a habit of coming home drunk.
Life has a habit of surprising people.
be prone to something to be more likely to have problems:
Some older computer systems were prone to go wrong.
The fitter you are, the less you are prone to injury.
plants that are prone to disease

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

often
ˈɔfn
See: every now and then or every so often , more often than not

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲