(chiefly, US, uncommon) (elsewhere, archaic) Often, frequently.
(chiefly, US, uncommon) (elsewhere, archaic) Often, frequently.
"ofttimes" means: (elsewhere, archaic) Often, frequently.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"ofttimes" means: (elsewhere, archaic) Often, frequently.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (US) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
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"ofttimes" means: (elsewhere, archaic) Often, frequently.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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(chiefly, US, elsewhere, _, archaic) Frequently; often.
An archaic or literary adverb meaning 'often' or 'many times' — now only encountered in deliberately formal, poetic, or old-fashioned writing. In contemporary American English it occasionally appears in rhetorical or elevated prose, though it reads as self-consciously archaic. Elsewhere it is purely historical. Essentially interchangeable with 'often' but carrying a different register.
An archaic or literary adverb meaning 'often' or 'frequently'. Oftimes has the feel of old-fashioned formal writing — the kind of word you'd find in a 19th-century novel or a poetic passage. In contemporary usage it's almost exclusively ironic or deliberately archaic, dropped into speech or writing to create a mock-serious or elevated tone. It's rarely used straight-faced, which is part of its charm.
(chiefly, US, uncommon) (elsewhere, archaic) .