Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Not frequent; not occurring regularly or at short intervals: Describes something that happens rarely, seldom, or with long periods of time between occurrences.

Usage

• The adjective "infrequent" is used to modify nouns, describing the rate or regularity of an event, action, or phenomenon.
• It is often used in formal or neutral contexts.
• Common collocations include: infrequent visits, infrequent events, infrequent contact, infrequent use.

Examples

• Adjective:
  • Her visits to the city became increasingly infrequent after she moved abroad.
  • Due to the remote location, public transportation is infrequent and unreliable.
  • He made only infrequent comments during the long meeting.

Advanced Usage

• "Infrequent" vs. "Rare": While both mean "not happening often," "infrequent" often implies a measurable or expected pattern that is not met (e.g., buses that don't come often), whereas "rare" can emphasize unusualness or scarcity (e.g., a rare gem).
• In a comparative/superlative structure: "less frequent" is more common than "infrequenter," and "least frequent" is more common than "infrequentest."
  • Storms are less frequent in the desert than in the tropics.

Variants and Related Words

• Infrequency (noun): The state or condition of being infrequent.
  • The infrequency of his letters made her worry.
• Infrequently (adverb): Not often; seldom.
  • She infrequently drinks coffee.

Synonyms

• Occasional: Happening or appearing from time to time.
• Sporadic: Occurring at irregular intervals; not constant.
• Seldom: Not often; rarely. (Note: "Seldom" is an adverb, while "infrequent" is an adjective).
• Rare: Not occurring very often.

Antonyms

• Frequent: Occurring or appearing often.
• Common: Occurring, found, or done often; prevalent.
• Regular: Happening at uniform intervals.

Idioms and Phrases

• Few and far between: This idiom is a common synonym for "infrequent," emphasizing that things are widely spaced or rare.
  • Good opportunities like that are few and far between.

Adjective

1. not frequent; not occurring regularly or at short intervals
   • infrequent outbursts of temper