unoften

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ʌnˈɔfən/ UK /ʌnˈɒfən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adv
not frequently; seldom

He visited the old house unoften, and never alone.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · not frequently; seldom seldom rarely infrequently

Opposites

often frequently

Word family

Related forms often

Etymology

A rare formation from un- ('not') + often, from Middle English often, often, an extended form of oft, from Old English oft ('frequently').

un- Old English oft Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# unoften

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adv
**IPA (US):** /ʌnˈɔfən/
**IPA (UK):** /ʌnˈɒfən/

## Meanings
1. not frequently; seldom

## Examples
- He visited the old house unoften, and never alone.

## Synonyms
- seldom
- rarely
- infrequently

## Antonyms
- often
- frequently

## Related Forms
- often

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: un-
- Root: oft

## Etymology
A rare formation from un- ('not') + often, from Middle English often, often, an extended form of oft, from Old English oft ('frequently').

## AI Etymology
Unoften is a rare formation from un- ('not') + often, from Middle English often, often, an extended form of oft, from Old English oft ('frequently'). Important recorded forms include un- (Old English) and oft (Old English). Morphologically, the un- element marks negation, reversal, removal, or deprivation, while the base supplies the action, quality, or state being denied or undone. The modern sense is largely compositional, with the historical elements narrowing into a stable English lexical item. In current use it covers not frequently; seldom. The wider family includes related words such as often.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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