once in awhile
Not very often
Once in awhile means occasionally or from time to time—not regularly, but not rarely either.
It suggests something happens at irregular intervals: Once in awhile I'll treat myself to dessert.
The standard spelling is *once in a while*, with "a" as a separate word, though the compressed form appears frequently.
- now and thenAt infrequent intervals
- infrequentlyNot happening often
- from time to timeAt irregular intervals
- sporadicallyAt irregular intervals
- rarelyNot often occurring
occasionally · irregularly · hit or miss · now and again · sometimes · seldom · intermittently · every so often · at times · periodically · every now and then · wink · episodically · off and on · pause · blink · glance · fleeting moments
once in awhileconstantly
At all times
always · all the time · continuously · perpetually · incessantly
once in awhileregularly
At fixed intervals
consistently · every day · daily · every time · without exception