often
Again and again
Often means frequently or many times: I often forget where I put my keys.
It implies regularity without specifying exact frequency—more than occasionally, less than always.
How often do you exercise?
The word sometimes appears as oftentimes, which means the same thing.
Happening many times
- regularlyAt fixed intervals
- repeatedlyMany times over
- commonlyWith frequent occurrence
- usuallyMost of the time
typically · normally · routinely · habitually · customarily · generally · periodically · recurrently
At infrequent intervals
- now and thenAt infrequent intervals
- from time to timeAt irregular intervals
- once in a whileAt irregular intervals
- at timesOn certain occasions
intermittently · sporadically · infrequently · seldom · rarely · never · always · ever
To high degree
- extremelyTo an intense degree
- exceedinglyTo extreme degree
- quiteTo a notable degree
- particularlyTo an unusual extent
especially · remarkably · notably · surprisingly · unusually · all too · rather · so
frequently
Happening many times
- regularlyAt fixed intervals
- repeatedlyMany times over
- commonlyWith frequent occurrence
usually · typically · normally · routinely · habitually · customarily · generally · periodically · recurrently · consistently
occasionally
At infrequent intervals
- now and thenAt infrequent intervals
- from time to timeAt irregular intervals
- once in a whileAt irregular intervals
at times · intermittently · sporadically · infrequently · seldom · rarely · never · always · ever · whenever
very
To high degree
- extremelyTo an intense degree
- exceedinglyTo extreme degree
- quiteTo a notable degree
particularly · especially · remarkably · notably · surprisingly · unusually · all too · rather · so · overly
- time expressionsnow, today, soon, tomorrow, later
- time wordsminute, hour, day, now, soon
- adverbsquickly, slowly, very, really, now
- frequency wordsalways, never, usually, rarely, frequently
- hedginghedging, hedge, hedges, hedge bet, qualifier
- simple presentfacts, general truths, universal truths, routines, states
- every so oftenAt scattered intervals
- more often than notIn most cases
- not oftenRarely, hardly ever
- as often as notRoughly half the time
- quite often
- all too often
every so often, oft, oftentimes, oftener, more often than not