English Explanatory Dictionary

rare

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Very uncommon; scarce.
  2. Small in number (but not unusual); infrequent; sparse.
  3. Thin; of low density.
  4. Good; enjoyable.
  5. Cool; excellent.
noun
  1. A scarce or uncommon item.
adj
  1. Particularly of meat, especially beefsteak: cooked very lightly, so the meat is still red.
verb
  1. To rear, rise up, start backwards.
  2. To rear, bring up, raise.
adj
  1. Early.

Pronunciation

/ɹɛ/ /ɹɛə(ɹ)/ [ɹɜɹ] /ɹɛɚ/ /ɹɛɹ/ en-us-rare.ogg En-CA Rare.ogg /ɹeː/ /ɹeə/ /ɹiə/ /ɹeɹ/ /ɹɜː(ɹ)/

Word forms

rare rarer rarest rares more rare most rare reer rere raring rared

Etymology

From Middle English rare, from Old French rare, rere (“rare, uncommon”), from Latin rārus (“loose, spaced apart, thin, infrequent”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- (“friable, thin”). Displaced native English geason (“rare, scarce”) (from Middle English gesen, from Old English gǣsne); and replaced Middle English seld (“rare, uncommon”) (from Old English selden) and Middle English seldscene (“rare, rarely seen, infrequent”) (from Old English seldsēne).

Synonyms

dearthy few and far between geason infrequent in short supply rare raresome scant scantling scarce selcouth seld seldom selly superrare uncommon unfrequent

Antonyms

common widespread frequent average basic bog-standard common as bums common as dirt common as muck common as pig tracks dime a dozen everyday general habitual nonrare par for the course pedestrian plain quotidian regular routinary routine ten a penny two a penny usual workaday well done

Related words

rarity rarefy rareness For the adverb (e.g. rarely) see Thesaurus:occasionally frequency

Derived words

in rare form nonrare on rare form rare animal rare as a four-leaf clover rare as hen's teeth rare as rocking horse shit rare bird rare earth rare earth element rare-earth element rare earth magnet rare earth metal rare earth mineral rare gas rare groove rareish rareness rarepair raresome rare spring-sedge rarify semirare superrare ultrarare unrare vanishingly rare medium rare Pittsburgh rare rare-ripe
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