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.
In the final weeks of Graham’s life, Holder said he noticed that Graham frequently looked tired, prompting Holder to ask if he was doing OK.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Brown tree snakes are known to eat other snakes in their native range, but there is little evidence that they frequently prey on one another in Guam.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
About a third of clothing shoppers say they have bought clothes less frequently compared with the previous 12 months, according to a Mintel survey.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Investors frequently receive only a small fraction of the shares they request — if they receive any at all.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
The speed of their pace, Taran realized, served little purpose, since they were obliged to halt more frequently.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
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.
