rarely
gb/ɹˈɛɹli/ us/ɹˈɛɹli/
A2
English
~ 2200
Senses
0 senses
adverb
A2
property
1
Not happening often
Not happening many times; not often.
Usage pattern:
rarely [verb]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'rarely' with 'barely', but 'barely' means 'almost not', while 'rarely' means 'not often'.
Synonyms
seldom (Slightly more formal and less common in everyday speech.)
|
infrequently (More formal, often used in writing or technical contexts.)
Antonyms
often (Indicates a high frequency of occurrence.)
|
frequently (Means happening many times or at short intervals.)
Collocations
rarely happens
|rarely seen
|rarely used
|rarely occurs
Themes
daily life
|frequency
|time
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I rarely watch television these days.
- Such opportunities rarely come twice.
- He rarely eats meat anymore.
- The old train is rarely on time.
Learner examples
- I rarely eat fast food.
- She rarely goes to the park.
- We rarely see snow here.
- He rarely talks in class.
Grammar
Expressions
few and far between
1/fjˈu ˈænd fˈɑɹ bɪtwˈin/
idiom
Happening very rarely
Not happening often; rare.
Examples
- Good jobs like that are few and far between these days.
- Good job offers are few and far between these days.
- Moments like this are few and far between.
- In this desert, water sources are few and far between.
once in a while
1/wˈʌns ˈɪn ə wˈaɪl/
fixed phrase
Occasionally, not often
Sometimes, but not often.
Examples
- We go out for dinner once in a while.
- I like to read a novel once in a while.
- Once in a while, I like to take a long walk alone.
- We meet for coffee once in a while to catch up.
once in a blue moon
1/wˈʌns ˈɪn ə blˈu mˈun/
idiom
informal
Happening very rarely
Something that happens very rarely.
Examples
- We go hiking together once in a blue moon.
- We go out for a fancy dinner once in a blue moon.
- He only eats dessert once in a blue moon.
- He calls me once in a blue moon, so I’m always surprised.
once in a blue moon
2/wˈʌns ˈɪn ə blˈu mˈun/
idiom
Happens very rarely
Something that happens only on rare occasions.
Examples
- We go out for dinner once in a blue moon.
- He only calls me once in a blue moon.
once in a blue moon
3/wˈʌns ˈɪn ə blˈu mˈun/
idiom
Happening very rarely
Happening only one time in a long time.
Examples
- We go out for dinner once in a blue moon.
- He visits his parents once in a blue moon.