rarity
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the quality of being very unusual or hard to find.
the quality or state of being rare; infrequency of occurrence or scarcity of supply.
Simple“The rarity of this disease makes it very difficult for doctors to study.”
In context“The extreme rarity of the mineral in this region has driven its market price to unprecedented levels.”
UsageOften used with the definite article 'the' followed by 'of'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a person or thing that is very unusual and therefore often valuable.
a person or thing that is particularly unusual, uncommon, or valuable due to its scarcity.
Simple“In today's world, a politician who admits their mistakes is a real rarity.”
In context“The collector spent decades searching for this specific stamp, which remains a legendary rarity among philatelists.”
UsageTypically used as a countable noun with 'a' or 'an'.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
the state of being thin or not dense, like the air high up on a mountain.
the property of having low density or being thin in consistency; the opposite of density.
Simple“The rarity of the air at high altitudes makes it hard for climbers to breathe.”
In context“The experiment required a vacuum to test how the rarity of the medium affected the speed of the particles.”
UsagePrimarily used in scientific or formal contexts to describe gases or atmospheres.
From rare + -ity, borrowed from Middle French rarité, from Latin rāritās; compare French rareté. See also rare.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.