rarely

American  

[rair-lee] / ˈrɛər li /

adverb

1. on rare occasions; infrequently; seldom.

   I'm rarely late for appointments.

2. exceptionally; in an unusual degree.

3. unusually or remarkably well; excellent.

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rarely British  

/ ˈrɛəlɪ /

adverb

1. hardly ever; seldom

   I'm rarely in town these days

2. to an unusual degree; exceptionally

3. dialect uncommonly well; excellently

   he did rarely at market yesterday

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Usage

Since rarely means hardly ever , one should not say something rarely ever happens

Etymology

Origin of rarely

First recorded in 1515–25; rare ¹ + -ly

Explanation

If you almost never do something, you can say you do it rarely. If you walk or bike to work most days, you could say that you rarely take the bus. Something that happens rarely happens only once in a while, or seldom. You might sigh that your town's baseball team rarely wins a game, or boast that you rarely forget a person's name once you've been introduced. The word comes from the adjective rare, "not occurring often," or "unusual," from the Old French rere, "sparse," and its root, the Latin word rarus, "thinly sown, with intervals between, or full of empty spaces."

Example Sentences

Rarely have the possible outcomes for the economy been so dramatically divergent as those laid out by Lazar and Weinberg.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

Rarely is that the case over extended periods.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Rarely used in jewelry, the dark navy of sodalite adds an unexpected layer of depth to Color Blossom’s existing luminous gemstone lineup.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Rarely if ever do these minimum wage safaris net lasting structural change at the companies featured on the show.

From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026

Rarely do two states have the same gasoline tax, and these taxes largely support the building and maintenance of highways.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• barely
• hardly
• infrequently
• seldom