Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Cooked for a short time; still red inside: Used primarily to describe meat, especially beef, that is cooked quickly so the center remains red and juicy.
   • Uncommon; not occurring often: Describes something that is infrequent, unusual, or seldom found.
   • Of low density; thin: Describes a substance, especially a gas, that is not dense or is thin in consistency.
   • Exceptionally good or of high quality: In a more informal or literary sense, describes something as excellent or remarkable.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • He ordered his steak rare. (Describes the cooking level of the meat.)
  • Seeing a snow leopard in the wild is a rare event. (Describes an infrequent occurrence.)
  • The air becomes rare at high altitudes. (Describes thin, low-density air.)
  • She has a rare talent for music. (Describes an exceptional quality.)

Advanced Usage

• "rare bird": An unusual or exceptional person or thing.
  • A true polymath is a rare bird in the modern age.
• "rare as hen's teeth": An idiom meaning extremely rare or scarce.
  • Honest politicians are as rare as hen's teeth.
• "in rare form": Performing or behaving exceptionally well, often with great energy or skill.
  • The comedian was in rare form last night.

Variants and Related Words

• Rarely (adverb): Not often; seldom.
  • He rarely visits the city.
• Rarity (noun): The state of being rare; an uncommon or valuable item.
  • This coin is a great rarity.
• Rarefied (adjective): (1) (Of air) thin in density; less dense. (2) Understood or appreciated by only a select group; esoteric.
  • The rarefied atmosphere of the mountains.
  • The rarefied world of academic philosophy.

Synonyms

• Infrequent: Not occurring often.
• Uncommon: Out of the ordinary; unusual.
• Scarce: Insufficient to meet demand; in short supply.
• Exceptional: Unusually good; outstanding.

Antonyms

• Common: Occurring, found, or done often.
• Frequent: Happening or occurring often.
• Well-done: (For meat) cooked thoroughly.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The meaning related to cooked meat (rare, medium-rare, well-done) is specific to culinary contexts.
• The meaning of "thin" or "low-density" (rare air) is primarily used in scientific or descriptive contexts about gases or atmospheres.
• The most common general meaning is "uncommon" or "seldom occurring."

Adjective

1. (of meat) cooked a short time; still red inside
   • rare roast beef
2. marked by an uncommon quality; especially superlative or extreme of its kind
   • what is so rare as a day in June-J.R.Lowell
   • a rare skill
   • an uncommon sense of humor
   • she was kind to an uncommon degree
3. having low density
   • rare gasses
   • lightheaded from the rarefied mountain air
4. not widely distributed
   • rare herbs
   • rare patches of green in the desert
5. recurring only at long intervals
   • a rare appearance
   • total eclipses are rare events
6. not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
   • a rare word
   • rare books