always
- 01 A1 Beginner
every time or all the time.
at all times; on every occasion without exception.
Simple“The sun always rises in the east every morning.”
In context“The legal department always reviews the contracts before they are sent to the client to ensure full compliance with local regulations.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 A2 Elementary
happening very often or all the time, sometimes in an annoying way.
occurring with great frequency or persistence, often used with continuous tenses to express habit or irritation.
Simple“He is always losing his keys right when we need to leave.”
In context“The neighbours are always complaining about the noise, even when we are just having a quiet dinner on the patio.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
you use this to suggest a plan if other things do not work.
used to suggest a course of action that remains available if other options fail.
Simple“If the restaurant is full, we can always just order a pizza.”
In context“While the primary strategy is to sell the assets, we can always apply for a short-term loan if the market remains stagnant.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is common in spoken English when making suggestions or offering solutions.
Frequency adverb — typically placed before the main verb, but after the verb 'to be'.
Frequency adverbs like 'always' must follow the verb 'to be', even though they precede most other verbs.
Usage always wanted · always going · always on the look-out
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Indo-European *h₂elnós Proto-Germanic *allaz Proto-West Germanic *all Old English eall Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *wegaz Proto-West Germanic *weg Old English weġ Old English ealneġ Middle English alwey Proto-Germanic *-as Proto-West Germanic *-as Old English -es Middle English -es Middle English alweyes English always 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.