rare
1 Americanadjective
-
rarer,
comparative
-
rarest
superlative
-
coming or occurring far apart in time; unusual; uncommon: His visits are rare occasions.
a rare disease;
His visits are rare occasions.
- Synonyms:
- singular, extraordinary, exceptional
- Antonyms:
- common
-
thinly distributed over an area; few and widely separated.
Lighthouses are rare on that part of the coast.
- Synonyms:
- infrequent, sparse
- Antonyms:
- frequent
-
having the component parts not closely compacted together; not dense: lightheaded from the rare mountain air.
rare gases;
lightheaded from the rare mountain air.
-
unusually great.
a rare display of courage.
-
unusually excellent; admirable; fine.
She showed rare tact in inviting them.
- Synonyms:
- inimitable, incomparable, choice
- Antonyms:
- inferior
adjective
-
rarer,
comparative
-
rarest
superlative
verb (used without object)
adjective
-
not widely known; not frequently used or experienced; uncommon or unusual
a rare word
-
occurring seldom
a rare appearance
-
not widely distributed; not generally occurring
a rare herb
-
(of a gas, esp the atmosphere at high altitudes) having a low density; thin; rarefied
-
uncommonly great; extreme
kind to a rare degree
-
exhibiting uncommon excellence; superlatively good or fine
rare skill
-
highly valued because of its uncommonness
a rare prize
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of rare1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rar(e), rer(e) “light, airy, loose,” from Latin rārus “loose, porous, wide apart, thin, infrequent”
Origin of rare2
First recorded in 1610–20; variant of earlier rear, Middle English rere, hrere, Old English hrēr “(of eggs) lightly boiled”
Explanation
If an event is rare, it doesn't happen often. If an object is rare, there aren't many of its kind. Obviously, finding a rare gem is a rare occasion. Rare comes from the Latin word rarus, meaning “widely spaced,” as rare things are — whether in actual space or in time. You thought it was rare to meet someone you have so much in common with, until he fainted looking at the rare steak you ordered. The rare that describes prepared meat actually has a separate origin: it comes from the long-gone word rear, meaning “half-cooked.”
Vocabulary lists containing rare
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"The Witch Boy" by Molly Knox Ostertag
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Workshop 5, Part 1
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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.
See Examples For:
On Sunday, Rezaei took the rare step of meeting with security chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey in Tehran, as all sides sought de-escalation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Just outside the top three is John Turturro, who “has never been nominated,” points out Glenn Whipp, saying “Pickpocket” “gives him a rare lead film role, and he is absolutely riveting.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
That’s something that’s happened in the past, though it’s rare.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
Among the many challenges facing the response is the lack of any approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola behind the epidemic.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
She is unaware of just how few pandas are left in the world, unaware that the giant panda—so rare and beautiful and beloved—is vulnerable.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
Accidents involving professionals like the medical chopper crew, he said, are much rarer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Real surprises are rarer in the land of Too Much TV, although we shouldn’t knock reliable comforts.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
"While large, tabular icebergs are relatively common in the Southern Ocean that surrounds the Antarctic Ice Sheet, Arctic ice islands are far rarer," explains Dr. Anna Crawford of the University of Stirling.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
NATO-member engagement with a sea drone is a rarer event, however, and prompted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday to say that Europe was facing “an escalating campaign of threats.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
By a similar process in German, the rarer term, Naturgesetz, comes to mean primarily law of nature, while the commoner term, Naturrecht, continues to mean natural law.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
African wild dogs are among Africa's rarest predators, with only about 6,000 remaining in the wild.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
JapanLA was auctioning the rarest Sonny Angels for hundreds of dollars, and that started bothering some fans of the fat little collectibles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
A hidden population of one of England's rarest moths has been found at a site where it had not been seen for more than 70 years.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The Bundibugyo strain is the rarest of the four known Ebola virus species, scientists say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Then he tilted back his head and roared with laughter as if I had told the rarest jest of all.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
A group of Chinese billionaires, including Pony Ma, the Tencent founder, issued rared public statements supporting President Xi Jinping’s contentious handling of the economy.
From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2023
"Every pitch, I rared back, and after a while I didn't even look at the target."
From Time Magazine Archive
Aware that Newton Minow got a lot of acreage simply by calling TV a "vast wasteland," Goldwater rared back his onager at a Greek-American dinner in Chicago and let the rocks fly at U.S. television.
From Time Magazine Archive
The citizens rared up and threw an anti-chain tax for a loss.
From Time Magazine Archive
People screamed and ran, horses and mules screeched and rared.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Take, for example, a runner whose preparation for a race has gone perfectly and who is confident and raring to go.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
As for now, she is raring for the Mexican leg of her “K de Karma Tour” that kicks off on April 25 in her hometown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2026
America’s top oil producers have expressed hesitancy about rushing back to Venezuela, but the companies that provide them with equipment and expertise are raring to go.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
"Everybody's raring to go and loving playing for England."
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2025
I’m up with the sun every morning, raring to go.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
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