as often as not
Commonly, though unpredictably
As often as not means about half the time—frequently enough that it's unremarkable.
The phrase suggests something happens with notable regularity without being inevitable: As often as not, he forgets to lock the door.
It implies a pattern worth mentioning but stops short of claiming something always or usually occurs.
- time and againRepeatedly, at intervals
- intermittentOccurring at irregular intervals
- hit or missLacking consistent reliability
- hit and missUnpredictably successful or not
- more or lessApproximately, not exactly
likely · fair chance · frequently · sometimes · now and then · from time to time · off and on · sporadic · occasionally · periodically · at times · every now and then · for the most part · unpredictable · fifty-fifty · recurring · by chance · here and there
as often as notalways
At all times
never · invariably · without fail · without exception · every time
as often as notlike clockwork
With precise regularity
dependably · predictably · systematically · guaranteed · unfailingly