different between habitually vs often

English

Etymology

habitual +? -ly

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /h??b?tju.?li/, /h??b?t?u.?li/, /h??b?t??li/

Adverb

habitually (not comparable)

1. By habit; in a habitual manner.

2. Occurring regularly or usually.

Synonyms

• (by habit): ritually
• (occurring regularly or usually): customarily, usually; see also Thesaurus:usually

Related terms

• habitual

Translations

English

Etymology

From Middle English often, alteration (with final -n added due to analogy with Middle English selden (“seldom”)) of Middle English ofte, oft, from Old English oft (“oft; often”), from Proto-Germanic *ufta, *uft? (“often”). Cognate with Scots oftin (“often”), North Frisian oftem (“often”), Saterland Frisian oafte (“often”), German oft (“often”), Norwegian and Danish ofte (“often”), Swedish ofta (“often”), Icelandic oft (“often”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??f(t)?n/, (East Anglia, Historical RP) /???f(t)?n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??f(t)?n/
• (US, cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /??f(t)?n/
• Rhymes: -?f?n, -?ft?n
• Homophone: orphan (non-rhotic accents with the lot–cloth split)
• Hyphenation: of?ten
• Historically, the /t/ was pronounced, but the current pronunciation was standardized after it stopped being pronounced. Therefore, the modern forms where the /t/ is pronounced (compare oft) are spelling-influenced pronunciations. The traditional /t/-less form is for that reason considered by many to be "more correct".

Adverb

often (comparative more often or oftener, superlative most often or oftenest)

1. Frequently, many times.

Synonyms

• a lot
• frequently
• usually

Antonyms

• infrequently
• occasionally
• rarely
• seldom

Derived terms

• as often as not
• oftenness

Related terms

• oftentimes
• oft

Translations

Adjective

often (comparative more often, superlative most often)

1. (archaic) Frequent.
   • c. 1599, William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act IV, Scene 1,^[2]

     […] it is a melancholy of mine own, compounded of many simples, extracted from many objects, and, indeed, the sundry contemplation of my travels; in which my often rumination wraps me in a most humorous sadness.

   • 1618, Anthony Munday (translator), The Third Booke of Amadis de Gaule by Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts (1542), London, Chapter 2, p. 18,^[3]

     Then came the Ladies to visite him, and the Queene gaue him most gracious welcome, desiring him to be of good cheere: For heere is my Daughter (quoth she) right skilfull in the Art of Chirurgerie, that meanes to bee your often visitant.

   • 1656, John Bunyan, Solomon’s Temple Spiritualiz’d, London: George Larkin, 1688, Chapter 48, p. 113,^[4]

     The Shew-bread by an often remove, and renewing, was continually to stand before the Lord in his House […]