oftentimes

adverb

of·​ten·​times ˈȯ-fən-ˌtīmz 

ˈȯf-tən-

: on many occasions : often

The quickness of the hand oftentimes deceives the eye.

—W. V. Quine

Seemingly untoward events oftentimes lead to successful results.

—Herman Melville

Oftentimes they were asleep, but occasionally might be heard talking together …

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

A man's ignorance sometimes is not only useful, but beautiful – while his knowledge, so called, is oftentimes worse than useless …

—Henry David Thoreau

Oftentimes cyclists mistake dehydration for hunger.

—Brian Wansink

Did you know?

Despite its archaic, literary ring, oftentimes is quite alive today. In fact, it seems to be more popular now than it was in past decades, appearing frequently both in written expression and in speech. Oftentimes was first used in the 14th century (the same century that gave us often), and its meaning hasn't changed—as meanings oftentimes will—in all that time. It was formed as an extension of its slightly older synonym ofttimes. Today ofttimes is less common, but oft (which comes from Old English and also means "often" or "frequently") is popular in combination with past participles, as in oft-praised.

Synonyms

• again and again
• constantly
• continually
• frequently
• hourly
• much
• oft
• often
• over and over
• repeatedly

Examples of oftentimes in a Sentence

Oftentimes, he is the only man in the aerobics class.

children oftentimes don't realize how quickly time passes

Recent Examples on the Web

Understanding what drives the business is oftentimes the best investment strategy. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

My career has oftentimes been confrontational, and clearly not for everybody. —Frank Digiacomo, Billboard, 17 Oct. 2024

The group has hosted several roundtable events throughout the state in the election cycle about policies that would help small businesses, and oftentimes only one candidate shows up, said Shawn Phetteplace, campaigns director for the organization. —Bridget Fogarty, Journal Sentinel, 17 Oct. 2024

The FBIs are back with new, dramatic and oftentimes explosive investigations. —Claire Franken, TVLine, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

oftentimes

adverb

of·​ten·​times -ˌtīmz 

variants or ofttimes

ˈȯf(t)-ˌtīmz 

: often