compound words

i've been noticing a trend, lately, toward "compounding" words that are typically separate in common usage. two examples from recent memory: "oftentimes" and "upfront," both of which i have seen in carolyn hax's advice column. today it was "upfront," as in "why couldn't he just be upfront about it?" if it were a single occurence, i'd just write it off as a typo, but i think it's intentional.

anyone else noticing this? thoughts?