Frequent: Definition, Usage & Common Examples

Meaning 1：common, happening often (frequent)

frequent 🔊

/ˈfriːkwənt/

adj.

Happening or appearing many times in a short period; common.

Frequent action illustrated by a hand repeatedly tapping a smartphone refresh button.

common, happening often 🔊

➕

/ˈkɒmən, ˈhæpənɪŋ ˈɒfən/

adj.

This meaning describes an event, action, or phenomenon that occurs repeatedly over a relatively short span of time, indicating a high rate of recurrence.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'frequens' meaning 'crowded, repeated, or often doing something'. Related to the Latin verb 'frequento', meaning 'to visit often' or 'to crowd'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of something that is 'FREE' and happens 'QUENT'-ly (like 'quent' sounds like 'quent' in 'sequent', meaning following). Something that is free to happen again and again is frequent.

📖 Example

My local coffee shop is a frequent meeting place for my friends and me. 🔊 My local coffee shop is a common meeting place for my friends and me.

🔗 Collocations

frequent visitor – a person who visits a place often

frequent occurrence – an event that happens regularly

frequent changes – alterations that are made often

🔄 Synonyms

common (adj.) – occurring, found, or done often; prevalent.

regular (adj.) – happening or doing something at uniform intervals of time.

recurrent (adj.) – occurring often or repeatedly.

🚫 Antonyms

rare (adj.) – not occurring very often.

infrequent (adj.) – not occurring often; rare.

🌱 Derivatives

frequently (adv.) – at frequent intervals; often.

frequency (n.) – the rate at which something occurs over a particular period or in a given sample.

infrequent (adj.) – not occurring often; rare.

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'frequent' entered English from French in the 15th century, tracing back to the Latin 'frequens'. Its original sense described a place full of people or things. This evolved to describe actions done in quick succession or events that happen at short intervals. In modern culture, it is a foundational term in data analysis (e.g., 'frequent itemset' in data mining), business (e.g., 'frequent flyer'), and everyday descriptions of common habits or occurrences.