rarity

[rair-i-tee]

noun

plural

rarities 

1. something rare, unusual, or uncommon.

   Snowstorms are a rarity in the South.

2. something esteemed or interesting in being rare, uncommon, or curious.

   That folio is a rarity that will bring a good price.

3. the state or quality of being rare.

4. rare occurrence; infrequency.

   Volcanic eruptions on the island occur with great rarity.

5. unusual excellence.

6. thinness, as of air or a gas.

rarity

/ ˈrɛərɪtɪ /

noun

1. a rare person or thing, esp something interesting or valued because it is uncommon

2. the state or quality of being rare

Word History and Origins

Origin of rarity¹

1550–60; < Latin rāritās thinness, equivalent to rār ( us ) rare ¹ + -itās -ity

Example Sentences

He can also use a state-of-the-art cadaver lab, a rarity for undergraduates.

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That upward spiral has meant that fewer and fewer individuals can actually afford to own even one of these teams—and that sports conglomerates went from rarities to the new normal.

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The current research advances sodium as a viable alternative for batteries, a vital step to combat the rarity and environmental damage of lithium.

Read more on Science Daily

Handheld PCs are no longer a rarity, and neither are handheld games machines.

Read more on BBC

Candy treated everyone, even the children he worked with, as respected equals, a rarity in a business where power and money keep the playing field in constant flux.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• infrequency 
• rareness www.thesaurus.com
• uncommonness www.thesaurus.com