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
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.
That reach extends into more rarefied spaces too.
From BBC
The privilege is pressure, pressure is a privilege and the possibility of making such rarefied history, with folks at FanGraphs giving the Dodgers 27% odds to win this World Series, is anything but automatic.
From Los Angeles Times
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
The Iran war had turned one of the world’s most rarefied sports into a high-stakes evacuation mission—one that would be filled with logistical obstacles.
It was one thing for Redzepi to showcase the wonders of Nordic cuisine at his rarefied Copenhagen restaurant.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
