rarely
English
Etymology
From rare + -ly.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈɹɛːli/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈɹɛəɹli/
Audio (US) (file)
- (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ɹeə.liː/, or IPA(key): /ɹeəɹliː/ (to distinguish from really)
- Homophone: really
- Rhymes: (UK) -ɛːli, (US) -ɛəɹli
- Hyphenation: rare‧ly
Adverb
rarely (comparative rarelier or more rarely, superlative rareliest or most rarely)
- Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often. [from 16th c.]
- We rarely go to the theatre.
- Rarely do you ever find an eagle this far up the river.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:rarely
- Unusually well; excellently. [from 16th c.]
- To a rare degree; very. [from 16th c.]
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 32, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:
- others speake very honourably of his life and death, and in all other circumstances declare him to have beene a most excellent and rarely virtuous man.
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Usage notes
It is grammatically a negative word. It therefore collocates with ever rather than never.
- Compare We rarely ever go to the theatre. with We almost never go to the theatre.
Synonyms
- barely
- hardly
- infrequently
- once in a while
- seldom
- sporadically
- scarcely
- Thesaurus:rarely
Antonyms
- frequently, usually, often
Translations
not occurring at a regular interval
|
unusually well
|
to a rare degree
|
References
- rarely in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
- rarely in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
Anagrams
- rearly