always

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always

/ˈɔːl.weɪz/ UK
/ˈɔː.weɪz/ UK
/ˈɔːl.wɪz/ UK
/ˈoː.wɛjz/ British, Southern, Standard
/ˈaː.wɪz/ Northumbria, UK
/ˈɔl.weɪz/ US
/ˈɔl.wɪz/ US
/ˈɔl.wəz/ US
/ˈɔ.weɪz/ US
/ˈɔ(l).wiz/ US
/ˈɑl.weɪz/ US, cot caught merger
/ˈɑl.wɪz/ US, cot caught merger
/ˈɑl.wəz/ US, cot caught merger
/ˈɑ.weɪz/ US, cot caught merger
/ˈɑ(l).wiz/ US, cot caught merger
/ˈɔləs/ Southern US, US
/ˈɔ(l).wis/ US
[ˈɔː(ɫ)we(ɪ)z] Canada
[-wɪz] Canada
[-wɛs] Canada

Rhymes with -ɔːlweɪz, -ɔːlwiz, -ɔːlwɪz, -ɔːlwəz, -ɔːweɪz, -ɔɪz

Where it comes from

From Middle English alweyes, alwayes, alweys, a variant of Middle English alwey, alway (“always”), from Old English ealneġ, ealne weġ (“always, perpetually”, literally “all the way, all the while, continuously”), from ealne + weġ (accusative case), equivalent to alway + -s. Cognate with Scots always (“always”), Low German allerwegens (“very often”, literally “all ways'”). More at all, way.

adverb alwayes · alwayz · alwayez · allus

not comparable At all times; throughout all time; since the beginning. God is always the same.
Similar: perpetually, continually, all the time, every time, 5ever, ad infinitum, always, aye, endlessly, eternally, ever, ever after · Opposite: at no time, never, at latter Lammas, in the reign of Queen Dick, ne'er, never ever, not while pussy's a cat, on the second Tuesday of the week, sine die, when Hell freezes over, when pigs fly, when two Sundays come together
not comparable Constantly during a certain period, or regularly at stated intervals (opposed to sometimes or occasionally). In this street, the shops always close during lunchtime.
Similar: invariably, uniformly, always, consistently, constantly, immutably, invariously, still, unalterably, unchangeably, unchangingly, unvaryingly · Opposite: manywise, sundrily, variously, diversely
informal, not comparable if necessary, or if there is no better option; in any event. I thought I could always go back to work.
Similar: anyhow, anyway, at any rate, regardless, after all, algate, always, any road up, anyhoo, anyroad, anyways, anywise

Opposite: never

noun alwayes · alwayz · alwayez · allus

empty gloss, informal, no gloss (informal) I am her always and she is my always and that’s the whole trouble. For two years I tried to make her pregnant.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: ever, forever, ongoing, continued, sometimes, continuing, eer, continually, permanently, often, regularly, evermore, frequent, frequently, anytime, everywhere

adverb

Opposite: never

Translations

Every language

adv at all times

Español	siempre
한국어	항상 hangsang, 늘 neul, 언제나 eonjena
日本語	いつも itsu mo
中文	總是 /总是 zǒngshì
हिन्दी	हमेशा hameśā, सदा sadā, नित्य nitya, निरंतर nirantar
Kiswahili	sikuzote
Português	sempre
Français	toujours
Deutsch	immer, stets
Italiano	sempre
Ελληνικά	πάντα pánta
Română	totdeauna, mereu, întotdeauna
Русский	всегда́ vsegdá, ве́чно véčno
Tiếng Việt	luôn luôn, luôn, mãi mãi
العربية	دَائِمًا dāʔiman, أَبَدًا ʔabadan, دَوْمًا dawman, دَوْمًا مَا dawman mā
עברית	תָּמִיד tamíd

adv constantly during a certain period, or regularly at stated intervals

Español	siempre
日本語	いつも itsu mo, 常に tsune ni, ずっと zutto
हिन्दी	हमेशा hameśā, सदा sadā, निरंतर nirantar
Kiswahili	sikuzote
Português	sempre, constantemente
Deutsch	immer
Italiano	sempre
Ελληνικά	πάντα pánta, πάντοτε pántote
Русский	всегда́ vsegdá, ве́чно véčno, всё вре́мя vsjo vrémja, постоя́нно postojánno

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MLA

"always." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/always. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

always. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/always

Chicago

"always." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/always.

BibTeX

@misc{always_2026,
  title = {always},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/always},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}