frequently
Americanadverb
Synonym Usage
See often.
Etymology
Origin of frequently
Explanation
If you do something frequently, you do it repeatedly, again and again. If you frequently visit the cookie jar, you might gain some unwanted pounds. Doctors and nurses have to wash their hands frequently, many times each day, since they touch various patients and don't want to spread germs. When you're driving in rush hour traffic, you usually find yourself stopping frequently. Things that occur over and over, especially in a relatively short time frame, happen frequently. The adverb frequently comes from the adjective frequent, which originally meant "profuse or ample," from the Latin root frequentem, "crowded or repeated."
Vocabulary lists containing frequently
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Large, flat-topped icebergs are relatively common around Antarctica, but comparable ice islands are much less frequently seen in the Arctic.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
And in Mr. Barnett’s telling, we grown-ups frequently get it wrong, too often confusing a good lesson with a good story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
The United States and several other countries frequently condemn what they say is state-backed Chinese hacking activity of governments, militaries and businesses.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Now, Owens has more than 35 million subscribers and followers across platforms and a podcast that is frequently ranked in the country’s top 20.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Shackleton, restless as always, was standing on an ice hill that the men frequently used for a lookout tower.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
