of‧ten S1 W1 / ɒf ə n, ɒft ə n $ ɒf- / 副词

1 if something happens often, it happens regularly or many times 同义词 frequently :

She often works at the weekend.

If you wash your hair too often, it can get too dry.

How often do you see your parents?

quite/very often

I quite often go to Paris on business.

Robin is a difficult child; you’ve said so yourself often enough (= a lot of times ) .

it is not often (that)

It’s not often that a government minister will admit to being wrong.

2 if something happens often, it happens in many situations or cases :

It’s often difficult to translate poetry.

very/quite often

Very often children who behave badly at school have problems at home.

3 all too often ( also only too often ) used to say that something sad, disappointing, or annoying happens too much :

All too often doctors are too busy to explain the treatment to their patients.

This type of accident happens only too often.

4 every so often sometimes :

An inspector comes round every so often to check the safety equipment.

5 as often as not ( also more often than not ) spoken usually :

More often than not the train is late.

THESAURUS

often used when saying that something happens many times : Gary was often bad-tempered in the morning. | We often meet up for a drink after work.

a lot informal often : I think she likes him – she talks about him a lot. | His wife goes abroad on business a lot.

frequently especially written often – used especially in writing or more formal English : Passengers complain that trains are frequently late. | Older patients frequently forget to take their medicine.

regularly often, especially at regular intervals : Buses run regularly every ten minutes.

again and again used to emphasize that someone does something many times, or the same thing happens many times : She told herself again and again that everything would be all right. | Gunfire rang out across the city again and again.

repeatedly especially written used to emphasize that someone does something many times : His doctor had repeatedly warned him not to work so hard.

constantly/continually often over a long period of time – used especially about something that is annoying or causes problems : They seem to be continually arguing. | It’s hard to keep up with technology when it’s constantly changing.

time and time again many times – used when this is annoying or does not have any effect : He forgets his keys time and time again. | I tell students time and time again to keep careful notes.

to often happen or do something

tend to do something to often do a particular thing and be likely to do it : Dave tends to arrive late so don’t worry. | Girls tend to be better at languages than boys.

have a tendency to do something to often do something, especially something that is not good, and be more likely to do it than other people or things : Some people have a tendency to put on weight. | This type of cloth has a tendency to shrink.

be inclined to do something to do something fairly often or be fairly likely to do it, especially because this is part of your character : Teenage boys are inclined to take risks. | She was inclined to giggle in class.

have a habit of doing something used when saying that something has happened many times before and is likely to happen again : Ben had a habit of coming home drunk. | Life has a habit of surprising people.

be prone to something to be more likely to have problems : Some older computer systems were prone to go wrong. | The fitter you are, the less you are prone to injury. | plants that are prone to disease