infrequent
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of infrequent
First recorded in 1525–35, infrequent is from the Latin word infrequent- (stem of infrequēns ). See in- 3, frequent
Explanation
Something that's infrequent doesn't happen very often. Your family might take infrequent trips to Disney World, traveling there every two or three years. Things that are infrequent are rare or uncommon. You'd probably be glad to have infrequent run-ins with mean dogs or ugly insects, but disappointed to get infrequent phone calls from your best friend. The adjective infrequent comes from the prefix in, which here means "not," and frequent, or "often," which is rooted in the Latin word frequentem, "crowded or repeated."
Vocabulary lists containing infrequent
Unit 1: Telling Details
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"The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury
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The Double Helix
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Infrequent voters are also much more likely to be young, to be renters and to be unmarried, Berkeley found.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2023
Infrequent prenatal visits can increase risks to both mothers and babies, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which tracks health statistics.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 24, 2022
Infrequent use of antibiotics results in the population growth of resistant bacteria like MRSA.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Infrequent floods transport vastly more pollution than occurs during normal flow.
From Washington Post • Apr. 16, 2021
Infrequent bunches of small pines and a litter of stunted swamp-willows dot the level waste, the only considerable timber being found upon the banks of the rivers.
From On Canada's Frontier Sketches of History, Sport, and Adventure and of the Indians, Missionaries, Fur-traders, and Newer Settlers of Western Canada by Ralph, Julian
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
