rarefied

[rair-uh-fahyd]

See more synonyms for rarefied on Thesaurus.com

adjective

extremely high or elevated; lofty; exalted: the rarefied atmosphere of a scholarly symposium.
of, belonging to, or appealing to an exclusive group; select; esoteric: rarefied tastes.

Origin of rarefied

First recorded in 1625–35; rarefy + -ed²

Related formsul·tra·rar·e·fied, adjectiveun·rar·e·fied, adjective

rarefy

[rair-uh-fahy]

verb (used with object), rar·e·fied, rar·e·fy·ing.

to make rare or rarer; make less dense: to rarefy a gas.
to make more refined, spiritual, or exalted.

verb (used without object), rar·e·fied, rar·e·fy·ing.

to become rare or less dense; become thinned: Moisture rarefies when heated.

Origin of rarefy

1350–1400; Middle English rarefien < Middle French rarefier < Latin rārēfacere, equivalent to rārē-, combining form of rārus rare¹ (for expected rāri-; orig. of -ē- unclear) + facere to make; see -fy

Related formsrar·e·fi·a·ble, adjectiverar·e·fi·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for rarefied

exalted, esoteric, lofty, select, elevated, private, cliquish

Examples from the Web for rarefied

Contemporary Examples of rarefied

These subtleties are easily missed from the national perspective and, apparently, inside the rarefied air of the NRCC.
Mark Sanford Ditched by NRCC, but Counting Him Out Would Be Unwise
John Avlon
April 18, 2013
St. Peter Damian damned her for “excessive delicacy” in preferring such a rarefied implement to her God-given hands.
The Strange Way We Eat: Bee Wilson’s ‘Consider the Fork’
Bee Wilson
October 13, 2012
She is not some rarefied doyenne whose choices carry moral clout.
Kate's Controversial Gown
Robin Givhan
July 2, 2011
With that single gesture, he put a human face on this rarefied brand, one that last year boasted €826 million in revenue.
Galliano Erased at Christian Dior
Robin Givhan
March 7, 2011
Birmingham, after all, seems an unlikely breeding ground for so rarefied a creature as the author of In Patagonia.
The Enigmatic Nomad
Kirk Davis Swinehart
February 26, 2011

Historical Examples of rarefied

Science has told you that at such an altitude the air is rarefied.
Marion's Faith.
Charles King
It appears to respire as easily in the most rarefied air as on the seashore.
The Western World
W.H.G. Kingston
But I will not press this view, which may be too rarefied and lofty for the vulgar mind.
A Pessimist
Robert Timsol
The birds had long abandoned us, for in that rarefied air they could not have flown.
A Winter Amid the Ice
Jules Verne
They were intoxicated with rarefied atmosphere, not with alcohol.
The Rocky Mountain Wonderland
Enos A. Mills

British Dictionary definitions for rarefied

rarefied

adjective

exalted in nature or character; loftya rarefied spiritual existence
current within only a small group; esoteric or exclusive
(of a gas, esp the atmosphere at high altitudes) having a low density; thin

rarefy

verb -fies, -fying or -fied

to make or become rarer or less dense; thin out

Derived Formsrarefiable, adjectiverarefier, noun

Word Origin for rarefy

C14: from Old French raréfier, from Latin rārēfacere, from rārus rare 1 + facere to make

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for rarefied

rarefy

late 14c., from Old French rarefier (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin rarificare, from Latin rarefacere "make rare," from rarus "rare, thin" (see rare (adj.1)) + facere "to make" (see factitious). Related: Rarefied.