not so frequent

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "not so frequent" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that occurs with less regularity or is not as common as other occurrences. Example: "The meetings are not so frequent, occurring only once a month."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

29 human-written examples

"They're not so thorough and they're not so frequent and unfortunately this is what happens.

BBC

Although such disruptions are not so frequent, they must be studied because of its great impact on the system operation.

Journal of Modern Power Systems and Clean Energy

So, mid-latitude He+ troughs are not so frequent by day; they occur more often in summer (P≅30%) than in winter (P=5 to 10%).

Advances in Space Research

In this work we study the not so frequent case of the forced response of a bladed-disk with damping mistuning.

Journal of Sound and Vibration

These anomalous, noisy features are readily removed either by automatic filtering or visual inspection because the presence of those materials is not so frequent during the measurements.

Earth, Planets and Space

While these issues are not so frequent in blasting, the possibility still exists and this is an opportunity to address these environmental issues.

International Journal of Coal Science & Technology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

30 human-written examples

What aren't so frequent in St. Charles are outdoor fires that spread to structures, which was the case early this month.

Los Angeles Times

Edges that appear in a very small number of graphs will have low co-occurrence similarity with frequent edges and retaining these not-so-frequent edges will lead to a large summary graph and a very sparse edge occurrence matrix.

BioData Mining

Investigations on their effectiveness have not been so frequent and, presently, cognitive debiasing is an inexact science.

BMJ Quality and Safety

"These suits do not breathe well, so frequent breaks and plenty of drinking water" are needed, writes Scott Fife, the Getty Trust's senior safety officer.

The New York Times

Clairol notes that the fastest growth is coming from people aged between 14 and 24, where the prime objective is to be noticed.One factor helping sales is that the new dyes are not so fast, allowing frequent colour changes and experimentation.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "not so frequent", ensure the context clearly establishes what is being compared to a higher frequency. For example, "While errors are possible, they are "not so frequent" as to invalidate the entire study."

Common error

While acceptable, "not so frequent" can sound less formal than alternatives like "infrequent" or "uncommon". Consider the tone of your writing and choose the most appropriate wording.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "not so frequent" functions as an adverbial modifier, specifically modifying a verb or verb phrase to indicate the frequency with which an action or event occurs. Ludwig AI confirms its usability, indicating that it is grammatically sound.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

62%

News & Media

23%

Wiki

8%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "not so frequent" is a grammatically sound and usable expression that indicates something occurs less often than expected. It functions as an adverbial modifier and conveys a sense of relative infrequency. While Ludwig AI confirms its validity, it's worth noting that more formal alternatives exist, such as "infrequent" or "uncommon", which might be preferable depending on the context. The phrase is observed more commonly in scientific and news-related contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

not particularly frequent

Replaces "so" with "particularly", emphasizing a lower degree of frequency.

not especially frequent

Similar to "not particularly frequent", using "especially" to convey a similar nuance.

not very often

Replaces the adjective "frequent" with the adverbial phrase "very often", offering a more direct expression of infrequency.

occurs infrequently

Uses the adverb "infrequently" to describe the manner of occurrence, providing a more concise alternative.

not commonly occurring

Employs a more descriptive adjective phrase to indicate a lack of commonness.

rarely happens

Substitutes the entire phrase with a direct statement of rarity.

seldom seen

Replaces "frequent" with "seen" to give a more emphatic, almost visual sense of rarity.

not a common occurrence

Transforms the phrase into a noun phrase emphasizing the infrequency of an event.

uncommon

Simplifies the phrase to a single adjective, denoting rarity or infrequency.

atypical

Uses a different adjective indicating that something is not typical or usual.

FAQs

What does "not so frequent" mean?

The phrase "not so frequent" means something occurs less often than it used to, or less often than something else. It implies a relative lack of regularity.

What can I say instead of "not so frequent"?

You can use alternatives like "not very often", "rarely happens", or "uncommon" depending on the context.

How can I use "not so frequent" in a sentence?

You can use "not so frequent" to describe events, occurrences, or actions that don't happen often. For example: "Power outages are "not so frequent" during the summer."

Is it better to use "not so frequent" or "infrequent"?

The choice depends on the context and desired tone. "Infrequent" is more formal, while "not so frequent" is slightly more conversational. For formal writing, consider using "infrequent", "rare", or "uncommon".