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Showing results for rarefied. Search instead for rarified.
Synonyms

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.
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

"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

Other Word Forms

  • ultrararefied adjective
  • unrarefied adjective

Etymology

Origin of rarefied

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

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.

Dictators may be faithless and brutal to their own people, but in the rarefied circle of fellow dictators, a kind of camaraderie flourishes.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

They'll drop to second if France beat Italy on Sunday, but second after three games is rarefied air for Gregor Townsend and his team.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

The veteran prop, 36, will enter rarefied air on Sunday when he takes the field in Christchurch against the Canterbury Crusaders as he closes in on the all-time appearance record of 202.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

Pilots log hundreds of hours chasing imaginary cars, bikes, and skiers through digital landscapes to practice—so that when the whole world is watching, they can reach their own rarefied plane of athletic zen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

Galaxies would become ever more distant from one another, and the star stuff that drives all the energetic reactions in the universe would become more rarefied.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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.