adverb

• 1Not often; seldom.

  ‘I rarely drive above 60 mph’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Boyce clung to Henry like a second skin; he rarely fouled, he seldom needed to.’
  • ‘He drives rarely, and then usually from down the pitch, miles into the air.’
  • ‘You want to root for them, but their humanity rarely rises above the constant din of insults.’
  • ‘The model of perfect competition presented above is rarely seen in practice.’
  • ‘Very, very rarely does a film not have its place in the grand scheme of things.’
  • ‘Whilst voyeurism is studied in other films of note, rarely has it been handled in such a touching and detailed way.’
  • ‘Its audience is given a rare view into the lives of a group of people rarely seen on film.’
  • ‘Film critics have rarely been so united in their antipathy, so vitriolic in their condemnation.’
  • ‘Housing estates which seem half a world away from the footstreets rarely figure on film.’
  • ‘Let me assure you - Clinton rarely, if ever, spoke for me and millions of other Americans.’
  • ‘What to remember is that before the 20th century, drawing was rarely ever seen as an end in itself.’
  • ‘He would, of course, listen to us reading our essays aloud, but rarely if ever commented on them.’
  • ‘Now not being a great drinker I would rarely ever need to be in a pub but I went up to give my support.’
  • ‘Most are rarely, if ever, thoroughly cleaned and end up teaming with millions of bugs.’
  • ‘Yet it is a theme which has rarely, if ever, received serious treatment in the theatre.’
  • ‘You are very rarely ever in a situation where there is no other sound in your environment.’
  • ‘Women are rarely filmed at such occasions, and they appear only in distant glimpses.’
  • ‘British made films or serials rarely explore social relations and conditions in the Caribbean.’
  • ‘When I am not filming I rarely eat away from home other than the odd lunch on jaunts to London.’
  • ‘I am rarely, if ever, moved to write letters in response to articles which appear in the press.’

  Synonyms

  seldom, infrequently, on rare occasions, hardly ever, scarcely ever, hardly, scarcely, almost never, once in a while, only now and then, not often, only occasionally, sporadically

  View synonyms
• 2 archaic Unusually or remarkably well.

  More example sentences

  • ‘you can write rarely now, after all your schooling’

  1. 2.1To an unusual degree; exceptionally.
     More example sentences

     • ‘the rarely fine Sheraton bookcase’