rarely
RAIR-lee
Rarely (adv) means not often; seldom. Example: “She rarely eats meat.”
adv
1
Not often; seldom.
"She rarely eats meat."
"We rarely see snow here."
"Rarely do you ever find an eagle this far up the river."
"He rarely complains, even when the work is tiring."
"You have to give them credit, rarely does a character appeal equally to four-year-old children and middle-aged aunts posting tepid jokes and fake Oscar Wilde quotes on their timelines."
— AJ Willingham, All the trends we loved and hated in the 2010s (2019)
"We rarely go to the theatre."
How to use rarely
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAlmost never — the opposite of "often."
Easily confused with
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Word forms
- Comparative
- rarelier, more rarely
- Superlative
- rareliest, most rarely
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She _____ eats meat.
Synonyms
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hardly ever
not often
barely
hardly
infrequently
once in a while
seldom
sporadically
scarcely
seldomly
uncommonly
unoften
Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for rarely
See all rhymes for rarely →Frequently asked questions
What does “rarely” mean?
The word “rarely” means not often; seldom. In plain terms, almost never — the opposite of "often.".
How do you pronounce “rarely”?
“Rarely” is pronounced RAIR-lee (/ˈɹɛəɹli/ in IPA).
How do you use “rarely” in a sentence?
Here is “rarely” used in a sentence: “She rarely eats meat.”
What is another word for “rarely”?
Words with a similar meaning to “rarely” include barely, hardly, infrequently, once in a while, seldom and sporadically.
What is the opposite of “rarely”?
The opposite of “rarely” — its antonyms — are frequently, usually and often.
What part of speech is “rarely”?
“Rarely” is an adverb.
Is “rarely” a common word?
“Rarely” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
What is the difference between rarely and barely?
Rarely is about frequency and means not often, as in we rarely eat out. Barely is about degree and means only just or almost not, as in I could barely hear you. They are easy to confuse because both feel negative, but rarely counts how often something happens while barely measures how much.
What is the difference between rarely and scarcely?
The two can overlap. Scarcely often means almost not, as in I could scarcely believe it, similar to barely. But scarcely can also mean rarely, as in we scarcely see them now. Rarely is the clearer choice when you simply mean not often, without the sense of almost not at all.
What is the opposite of rarely?
The opposites relate to frequency and include often, frequently, usually, and regularly. Where rarely means something happens only now and then, these words describe it happening much of the time. Always sits at the far end, meaning every single time without exception.
What is an example of rarely in a sentence?
You might say, she rarely misses a day of work, or it rarely snows here in spring. In each case rarely tells us the event happens only occasionally, not never but far from often. It sits comfortably before the main verb in most sentences.
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