Meaning of seldom in English:
seldom
See synonyms for seldomTranslate seldom into Spanish
adverb
Not often; rarely.
‘Islay is seldom visited by tourists’- ‘he was seldom absent’
- ‘an old seldom-used church’
- ‘An eclectic palette of samples etched out paths seldom visited in accessible forms.’
- ‘Neighbours said they seldom saw the couple and that the daughters seldom visited them.’
- ‘The actors seldom move: they are like tortured figures on a frieze in a besieged acropolis.’
- ‘Those who do not do well during those years seldom if ever catch up with the rest of the population.’
- ‘However, they seldom if ever attach themselves to an argument which has not already been won.’
- ‘It was a very controlled and contained piece, the dancers seldom moving from outside a small circle of light.’
- ‘I have seldom been so moved by the reconciliation of the lovers, human and fairy.’
- ‘Rivalry also bred lack of trust; allies seldom if ever trust each other entirely.’
- ‘Rarely is a stenographer present, so there is seldom any record of the proceedings.’
- ‘It was also a chance to simply hear these great old songs live - a chance that people seldom had.’
- ‘These days Brown seldom grants interviews, confining most communications to his website.’
- ‘The world's poorest nations seldom get the chance to frighten the super-rich.’
- ‘The needs and priorities of the people at the grassroot level are seldom taken into account.’
- ‘The small, nondescript moth is seldom noticed as it flies in the evening.’
- ‘Trite stereotypes aside, folk artists seldom get the coverage they deserve.’
- ‘Even the rows and rows of new motels seldom offer a lounge where one can catch a band.’
- ‘They were not sterile, that much we know, and I suspect they were seldom clean-brushed.’
- ‘He denied that the material was unsuitable and claimed children seldom enter the petrol station shop.’
- ‘His meetings were since then a must for me, and he very seldom disappointed in his approach.’
- ‘He's seldom been out of the country before on an official trip, a serious resume flaw.’
rarely, infrequently, on rare occasions, hardly ever, scarcely ever, hardly, scarcely, almost never, once in a while, every once in a while, only now and then, not often, only occasionally, sporadicallyView synonyms
adjective
dated attributiveNot common; infrequent.
- ‘a great but seldom pleasure’
Origin
Old English seldan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zelden and German selten, from a base meaning ‘strange, wonderful’.
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