rarely — not often; seldom
Part of speech: ADVERB
Definition: not often; seldom
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈrɛrli/
Example Sentences
- My cat rarely shares food, but today he gave me a piece of his salmon.
- I rarely check my email on weekends.
- He rarely gets angry, so when he does, everyone knows something is seriously wrong.
rarely
ADVERB[/ˈrɛrli/]
not often; seldom
He rarely smiles, so when he does, everyone notices.
RARE(uncommon) + LY(in a way) — truly unique treasures appear rarely.
She charitably donated the painting, clearly cleaned it, and only rarely discovered such a priceless treasure.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin 'rarus' meaning 'thinly sown, sparse, thin,' combined with the adverbial suffix '-ly' which converts adjectives to adverbs indicating manner or frequency.
Breakdown
rare (sparse, infrequent) + -ly (adverb suffix meaning 'in a manner of') = rarely
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My cat rarely shares food, but today he gave me a piece of his salmon.”
“I rarely check my email on weekends.”
“He rarely gets angry, so when he does, everyone knows something is seriously wrong.”
“She rarely wears makeup, which is why everyone was shocked when she showed up looking like a K-pop star.”
📚Related Words
Antonyms
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