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oft

oft

38 9.9
On many occasions
  • adverb
  • /ɔft/
  • Archaic
: a menudo
  • He oft finds himself lost in thought while walking through the park.
  • oft-quoted
  • oft-repeated
  • oft-cited

The CDC's only response was to repeat its OFT cited belief that universal masking reduces transmission of COVID.

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Examples

  • Science's wonders are oft built on blunders.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Oft in the stilly night, the trembling of a leaf can be heard... sighing through the trees.

  • We would see you oft, Mother.

  • We're oft made to wonder Why it should be All the day long

  • And yet how oft, when men are at the point of death, have they been merry!

    Fiction book (1992)
  • I have oft met a boar before

  • As Shakespeare writes, "Oft expectation fails, and most oft there where most it promises."

    Academic text (1991)
  • Oft have I heard of you, my lord berowne, before I saw you, and the world's large tongue...

  • People believed the oft-repeated myth about "splitting" the proposed additional taxes.

    Academic text (1997)
  • My favorite explanation of the unknown is the oft-repeated anecdote from Stephen Hawking.

    Blog text (31)

Synonyms

often
vsoft
∞ 1.0

Happens many times

is general frequency without stressing regular timing
frequently
vsoft
411 1.0

Happening many times in a short time

describes frequency generally rather than short spacing specifically
repeatedly
vsoft
390 1.0

It happens again and again

expresses simple frequency rather than focused repeated cycles
time and again
vsoft
  • Informal
123 1.8

Happens again and again

is similar but places less stress on repeated acts
oftentimes
vsoft
  • Archaic
87 4.9

Happens many times, usually within a short time

refers broadly to many occasions, not only short intervals
time and time again
vsoft
  • Informal
68 1.8

Very often on many occasions

is general frequent occurrence without extra emphasis
many a time
vsoft
8 2.6

It happens often

is the same idea but uses a different phrasing
ofttimes
vsoft
  • Archaic
1 9.9

On many occasions

has identical meaning with no real difference in use

Antonyms

118 1.7

Not happening or done very often

How Often

always
∞ 1.0
constantly
740 1.0
frequently
411 1.0
oft
  • Archaic
38 9.9
sometimes
∞ 1.0
occasionally
407 2.0
rarely
508 1.0

Surface Forms

oft positive

Etymology

Oft comes from an old English word that meant 'again and again' and is the same root as often. So oft simply means something happens many times or 'frequently'.