different between infrequent vs unfrequently

English

Etymology

in- +? frequent

Adjective

infrequent (comparative more infrequent, superlative most infrequent)

1. Not frequent; not happening frequently.

Synonyms

• scarce, uncommon, unfrequent; see also Thesaurus:rare

Derived terms

• infrequency
• infrequently

Translations

English

Etymology

unfrequent +? -ly

Adverb

unfrequently (comparative more unfrequently, superlative most unfrequently)

1. (now dated) Infrequently.
   • 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 30:

     She not unfrequently stopped at the Parsonage, and had a few minutes' conversation with Charlotte, but was scarcely ever prevailed upon to get out.

   • 1838-1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby, chapter 4:

     Near to the jail, and by consequence near to Smithfield also, and the Compter, and the bustle and noise of the city; and just on that particular part of Snow Hill where omnibus horses going eastward seriously think of falling down on purpose, and where horses in hackney cabriolets going westward not unfrequently fall by accident, is the coach-yard of the Saracen's Head Inn;

   • 1841, James Fenimore Cooper, The Deerslayer, chapter 3:

     Hurry had all the prejudices and antipathies of a white hunter, who generally regards the Indian as a sort of natural competitor, and not unfrequently as a natural enemy.

Usage notes

• This was the more common form before the 20th century (vis-à-vis infrequently).

References