nine times out of ten
Nearly every time
Nine times out of ten means almost always, or in the vast majority of cases.
The phrase acknowledges that exceptions exist while emphasizing what usually happens: Nine times out of ten, the simplest explanation is correct.
Often used to justify a rule of thumb or general expectation despite occasional counterexamples.
- usuallyMost of the time
- frequentlyHappening many times
- commonlyWith frequent occurrence
- as a ruleIn most instances
- mostlyFor the greater part
more often than not · as often as not · often · most of the time · typically · almost always · generally · habitually · by and large · probable · for the most part · regularly · repeatedly · customarily · likelihood · odds are · safe bet · sure thing
nine times out of tenrarely
Not often occurring
seldom · hardly ever · once in a blue moon · almost never · infrequently
nine times out of tenunpredictably
Without foreseeable pattern
unreliably · hit or miss · by chance · randomly · fifty-fifty
nines, ninths, ninety, nineties, ninetieth, nineteen, nineteenth, times, timing