always
adverb
Simple meaning
At all times.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
awlwayzSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɔlweɪz
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
At all times; all the time and on every occasion
“I will always be there to help you.”
At all times; throughout all time; since the beginning.
Constantly during a certain period, or regularly at stated intervals (opposed to sometimes or occasionally).
informal
If necessary, or if there is no better option; in any event.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: At all times; all the time and on every occasion
Used this way, always is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“I will always be there to help you.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use always
- “I will always be there to help you.”adverb
- “You can always resign if you don't like it.”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Antonyms
Sense: at all times
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.