oft
See also oft-
English
Pronunciation
-
Audio (US) (file)
- Rhymes: -ɒft
Adverb
oft (comparative ofter, superlative oftest)
- (chiefly poetic, dialectal, and in combination) often; frequently; not rarely; many times.
- An oft-told tale
- 1623, William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well, Act II, Scene 1, 1765, Samuel Johnson, George Steevens (editors), The Plays of William Shakespeare, Volume 4, 1778, page 45,
- What I can do, can do no hurt to try: / Since you ſet up your reſt 'gainſt remedy: / He that of greateſt works is finiſher, / Oft does them by the weakeſt miniſter; / So holy writ in babes hath judgment ſhown, / When judges have been babes.
- 1819, George Gordon Byron, John Galt (biography), The Pophecy of Dante, Canto the Fourth, 1857, The Complete Works of Lord Byron, Volume 1, page 403,
- And how is it that they, the sons of fame, / Whose inspiration seems to them to shine / From high, they whom the nations oftest name, / Must pass their days in penury or pain, / Or step to grandeur through the paths of shame, / And wear a deeper brand and gaudier chain?
- 1902, James H. Mulligan, In Kentucky, quoted in 2005, Wade Hall (editor), The Kentucky Anthology, page 203,
- The moonlight falls the softest / In Kentucky; / The summer days come oftest / In Kentucky;
Usage notes
- In widespread contemporary use in combination.
Translations
Related terms
Anagrams
German
Etymology
From Middle High German ofte, oft, uft, from Old High German ofta, ofto, oftu.
Pronunciation
- IPA: [ɔft]
Adverb
oft
Synonyms
- dauernd, des Öfteren, dutzendfach, dutzendmal, fortgesetzt, gehäuft, häufig, hundertmal, immer wieder, laufend, mehrfach, mehrmalig, mehrmals, öfter, öfters, oftmalig, oftmals, regelmäßig, ständig, tausendmal, vielfach, vielmals, wiederholt, x-mal, zigmal
Icelandic
Etymology
From Old Norse oft (“often”) and opt (“oft, often”)
Adverb
oft (comparative oftar, superlative oftast)
Derived terms
- oftar en ekki (more often than not)