# seldom

/ˈsɛɫdəm/ (US) · /sˈɛldəm/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/seldom
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 2. rare

adjective · CEFR C1 · Archaic · Literary

rare or not happening very much.

For teachers: occurring or appearing infrequently; rare.

- The museum only shows these seldom seen paintings once a year.
- The scholar spent years researching the seldom visited archives of the remote monastery to find the original manuscript.

Usage: In modern English, this is almost exclusively used as an adverb; the adjective form is restricted to specific literary contexts.

## Examples

- We seldom see our neighbors during the winter.
- The CEO seldom visits the local branches, so her sudden arrival today surprised the entire staff.
- In this remote part of the country, the silence is seldom broken by anything louder than the wind or the occasional passing truck.

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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.