adjective
-
exalted in nature or character; lofty
a 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
Other Word Forms
- ultrararefied adjective
- unrarefied adjective
Etymology
Origin of rarefied
Explanation
Use the adjective rarefied to describe things that are so stylish, smart, or moral that they seem elevated above the ordinary, like the rarefied conversation of brilliant scholars. To correctly pronounce rarefied, accent the first syllable: "RARE-uh-fied." In addition to high-minded conversation, the word rarefied can also describe the air in high elevations that has less oxygen, like the rarefied air that can be challenging to mountain climbers. Sometimes the quality of airlessness shades the other meaning of the word, implying that the rarefied world of elegant people isn't comfortable to everyone.
Vocabulary lists containing rarefied
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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This Week in Pop Culture: December 1 - 7, 2018
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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.
They experienced a rarefied state — a gap between life and death as narrow as the notch they were attempting to clear at dusk Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
Their stakes are real, but the dispute comes to the court in such rarefied doctrinal form that the underlying injury almost disappears.
From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026
That reach extends into more rarefied spaces too.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
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
McCoy feared that the rarefied air in the Enterprise was enervating the crew.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
