not often
Once in awhile
Not often is a straightforward way of saying infrequently or rarely.
It typically modifies verbs to indicate that an action happens only occasionally: I don't get to the gym not often enough—wait, I mean I don't get there often enough.
The phrase usually appears as part of a negative construction with "do" or in response to questions: Do you eat out?
Not often.
It occupies a middle ground between sometimes and rarely on the frequency scale.
- rarelyNot often occurring
- sometimesAt irregular intervals
- infrequentHappening only occasionally
- scarcelyAlmost not
- seldomOn few occasions
occasionally · hardly · hardly ever · never · sparingly · once in a while · every now and then · now and again · unusual · few and far between · once in a blue moon · blue moon · irregular · uncommon · treat · from time to time · at times · fleeting
- infrequencyrarely, seldom, infrequent, infrequently, occasionally