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Webster 1913 Edition

Often

Of′ten

(ŏf′’n; 115)
,
adv.
[
Com
par.
Oftener
(ŏf′’n-ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Oftenest
.]
[Formerly also
ofte
, fr.
oft
. See
Oft
.,
adv.
]
Frequently; many times; not seldom.

Of′ten

,
Adj.
Frequent; common; repeated.
[R.]
“Thine often infirmities.”
1 Tim. v. 23.
And weary thee with
often
welcomes.
Beau. & Fl.

Webster 1828 Edition

Often

OFTEN

,
adv.
of'n. comp. oftener; superl. oftenset. Frequently; many times; not seldom.

OFTEN

,
Adj.
of'n. Frequent. [Improper.]

Definition 2025

often

often

English

Alternative forms

Adverb

often ‎(comparative more often or oftener, superlative most often or oftenest)

  1. Frequently, many times.
    • 2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 55:
      According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures [patent trolls] roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle.
    I often walk to work when the weather is nice.‎
    I've been going to the movies more often since a new theatre opened near me.‎

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Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: room · power · mother · #266: often · themselves · half · certain

Etymology

From Middle English often, alteration (probably due to Middle English selden ‎(“seldom”)) of Middle English ofte, oft, from Old English oft ‎(“oft, often”), from Proto-Germanic *ufta, *uftō ‎(“often”). Cognate with Scots oftin ‎(“often”), North Frisian oftem ‎(“often”), Saterland Frisian oafte ‎(“often”), German oft ‎(“often”), Danish ofte ‎(“often”), Swedish ofta ‎(“often”), Icelandic oft ‎(“often”).

Pronunciation

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