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:
The institute said malaria in Germany almost exclusively affects long-haul travellers who were infected in malaria-endemic areas, and that malaria transmitted within a German airport is rare.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
John Turturro and Paul Giamatti make a blissful comedy duo in the rare revival of Eugène Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros” at American Repertory Theater here.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
The maneuver also gave the spacecraft a rare chance to observe Deimos from close range.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
In 2016, Candace Owens emerged as a leading conservative voice, the rare Black woman backing then-candidate Donald Trump.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Desserts were rare in the Beje, sticky delights like these unknown.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Larger or more widespread CMN are much rarer, occurring in about one in 10,000 to 20,000 births.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Elise informs Gemma that she has a special gift for making contact with those in the Further — and, even rarer, the ability to bring those spirits back into our world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The deep snows encountered 20 years ago are becoming rarer and Greater Prespa Lake is shrinking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
That overwhelming amount of ordinary DNA can obscure the much rarer fragments associated with early cancer, making them harder and more expensive to find.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
It grew rarer as the pattern of their warring changed.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
Kemp's ridleys are the rarest sea turtle in the world, and lay their eggs on only two beaches in Mexico and in Texas, USA.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
On an island just off the coast is one of the last surviving pockets of the world's rarest marsupial, the Gilbert's potoroo.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The Bundibugyo strain is the rarest of the four known Ebola virus species, scientists say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Fashionistas known as sneakerheads scramble to buy and trade the latest styles, paying a premium for the rarest pairs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Geoducks are also among the world’s rarest creatures.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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
As he got near the barn, he shied at a rock in the grass, stumbled, rared up, and raced away, tail arched high.
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
While American oil producers have expressed hesitancy about rushing back to Venezuela, the companies that provide them with equipment and expertise, such as Halliburton, are raring to go.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
"Everybody's raring to go and loving playing for England."
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2025
“You’d better hurry now. Your grandpa is raring to go.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
