rarefied

American  

[rair-uh-fahyd] / ˈrɛər əˌfaɪd /

adjective

1. extremely high or elevated; lofty; exalted.

   the rarefied atmosphere of a scholarly symposium.

2. of, belonging to, or appealing to an exclusive group; select; esoteric.

   rarefied tastes.

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rarefied British  

/ ˈrɛərɪˌfaɪd /

adjective

1. exalted in nature or character; lofty

   a rarefied spiritual existence

2. current within only a small group; esoteric or exclusive

3. (of a gas, esp the atmosphere at high altitudes) having a low density; thin

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Other Word Forms

• ultrararefied adjective
• unrarefied adjective

Etymology

Origin of rarefied

First recorded in 1660–70; rarefy + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Optimism about its growing AI business gave the Google parent entry to a rarefied club.

From The Wall Street Journal

Managing more assets can mean the ability to offer clients more rarefied investment products and the sort of one-stop shop they say clients are seeking.

From The Wall Street Journal

That is something that I learned from people who were raised in a much more rarefied environment than I was.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the way Stoppard incorporates mathematical concepts as rarefied as fractal geometry to explore concepts of order and chaos as the characters hypothesize on the patterns of time is Stoppardian through and through.

From Los Angeles Times

Bellingham's greater experience of the rarefied air of major competitions will surely just give him the edge when Tuchel names his team for England's first World Cup game.

From BBC

Related Words

• esoteric
• exalted
• lofty