# rarely

/ˈɹɛɹɫi/ (US) · /ɹˈeəli/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/rarely
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. not often

adverb · CEFR B1

not often; almost never.

For teachers: occurring at a low frequency or on very few occasions.

- We rarely go out for dinner because we both enjoy cooking at home.
- In this part of the country, it rarely snows enough to cause any significant disruption to the morning commute.

Usage: Typically placed before the main verb but after the verb 'to be'.

### 2. exceptionally

adverb · CEFR C2 · Literary · Archaic

to a very high degree; unusually well.

For teachers: to an exceptional or unusual degree; used to emphasize a quality.

- The garden was rarely beautiful in the soft light of the morning.
- She possessed a rarely gifted voice that captured the attention of every critic in the opera house that evening.

Usage: Often used to modify adjectives describing beauty or talent.

## Examples

- I rarely eat breakfast before eight in the morning.
- The desert receives very little rain, so it rarely stays green for more than a few weeks each year.
- Although the two scientists shared a laboratory for over a decade, they rarely spoke about anything other than their immediate research objectives.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.