rarely

American  

[rair-lee] / ˈrɛər li /

adverb

1. on rare occasions; infrequently; seldom.

   I'm rarely late for appointments.

2. exceptionally; in an unusual degree.

3. unusually or remarkably well; excellent.

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rarely British  

/ ˈrɛəlɪ /

adverb

1. hardly ever; seldom

   I'm rarely in town these days

2. to an unusual degree; exceptionally

3. dialect uncommonly well; excellently

   he did rarely at market yesterday

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Usage

Since rarely means hardly ever , one should not say something rarely ever happens

Etymology

Origin of rarely

First recorded in 1515–25; rare ¹ + -ly

Explanation

If you almost never do something, you can say you do it rarely. If you walk or bike to work most days, you could say that you rarely take the bus. Something that happens rarely happens only once in a while, or seldom. You might sigh that your town's baseball team rarely wins a game, or boast that you rarely forget a person's name once you've been introduced. The word comes from the adjective rare, "not occurring often," or "unusual," from the Old French rere, "sparse," and its root, the Latin word rarus, "thinly sown, with intervals between, or full of empty spaces."

Example Sentences

Kirchner was single-minded and spoke with a flat affect, rarely smiling or laughing, members said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 12, 2026

"We're now eagerly waiting to see if a new island is about to be born -- something that we've only rarely been able to observe with satellites as it happens," Garvin said.

From Science Daily • Jul. 10, 2026

Infections are rarely life-threatening but the symptoms of watery diarrhea and explosive bowel movements are certainly severe.

From Salon • Jul. 10, 2026

The Stones have rarely sounded looser or more alive.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2026

Even Miss Mortimer, who was rarely flummoxed by anything, was taken by surprise.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• barely
• hardly
• infrequently
• seldom