infrequent
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Buses are infrequent and haphazard, while the subway has only six trundling lines radiating out from the centre, making connections impossible without going all the way in and then all the way out again.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
"We're trying to infer processes from incomplete clues, often with very limited data collected by missions that are extraordinarily expensive and infrequent."
From Science Daily • May 12, 2026
But following the 2015 dispute, the researchers saw that there was a six-week avoidance period between the two sets, with interactions becoming more infrequent.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
The U.S. and Gulf states, which fended off infrequent drones and missiles from Iran and Yemen’s Houthis for years, are now learning fast.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026
As far as she could tell, her host didn’t speak of her—even when Fiona was off the premises—beyond infrequent mentions of that creature.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
