rarity
Americannoun
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something rare, unusual, or uncommon.
Snowstorms are a rarity in the South.
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something esteemed or interesting in being rare, uncommon, or curious.
That folio is a rarity that will bring a good price.
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the state or quality of being rare.
-
rare occurrence; infrequency.
Volcanic eruptions on the island occur with great rarity.
-
unusual excellence.
-
thinness, as of air or a gas.
noun
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a rare person or thing, esp something interesting or valued because it is uncommon
-
the state or quality of being rare
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of rarity
1550–60; < Latin rāritās thinness, equivalent to rār ( us ) rare 1 + -itās -ity
Vocabulary lists containing rarity
"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning
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"The Tempest," Vocabulary from Acts 1 and 2
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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.
This is a Golden Boot race shaped by stars, sharpened by numbers and defined by rarity.
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
Roughly half of Dimon’s operating committee are women, a rarity on Wall Street.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
After starting her career in radio and local TV, Cohn joined ESPN’s “SportsCenter” in 1992 when female hosts on sports programming were still a rarity.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
Another nature rarity: half-red, half-yellow apple drew crowds.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 12, 2026
Most of the guests back up, making way for this rarity, this dazzling creation with blue-green, white-tipped icing waves swimming with fish and sailboats, seals and sea flowers.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
