at times
prep. phr..prep. phr.. sometimes, but not all the time. You use this to describe something that happens occasionally or a feeling that comes and goes.
prep. phr.. an adverbial phrase indicating occasional frequency; used to qualify a statement by suggesting it is not a constant state.
The job is difficult at times, but I enjoy it.
Living in a big city can be quite lonely at times, even when you are surrounded by people.
While the professor's lectures were generally engaging, his tendency to drift into obscure technical details made them difficult to follow at times.
usually placed at the end of a clause or sentence for emphasis, though it can appear at the beginning.
contrast with 'sometimes' to show that 'at times' often carries a slightly more formal or reflective tone, frequently used when discussing moods or challenges.
at the timesat timesthe phrase is fixed without the definite article 'the' when it means 'occasionally'.