rarely

/'reəli/

Thân thiện

We rarely see a shooting star in the city.

Definition

Adverb: * Not often; seldom: Used to indicate that something happens on very few occasions or with very low frequency.

Usage

• Position: Typically placed before the main verb or after the first auxiliary verb in a sentence.
  • She rarely goes to the cinema. (Before the main verb 'goes')
  • He has rarely been late. (After the auxiliary verb 'has')
• Function: Expresses a low frequency of occurrence. It is stronger than "occasionally" or "sometimes" and is similar in strength to "seldom."

Examples

Advanced Usage

• Inversion for Emphasis: In formal or literary English, when "rarely" begins a sentence, it is followed by an inverted subject-verb order (similar to a question).
  • Rarely do we see such dedication. (Instead of: We rarely see such dedication.)
  • Rarely has a film moved me so deeply.
• "Very rarely" / "So rarely": Can be modified with "very" or "so" for added emphasis on the extreme infrequency.
  • It very rarely snows here.
  • He visits so rarely that I barely know him anymore.

Variants and Related Words

• Rare (adjective): Not occurring very often; uncommon.
  • A rare species of bird.
• Rarity (noun): The state of being rare; a rare thing.
  • Snow in this region is a rarity.

Synonyms

• Seldom: Not often; rarely. (Often used interchangeably with "rarely.")
• Infrequently: Not occurring often; at long intervals.
• Hardly ever: Almost never. (Slightly stronger than "rarely.")

Antonyms

• Often
• Frequently
• Usually
• Commonly

Related Phrases

• Once in a blue moon: An idiom meaning "very rarely."
  • He calls his parents once in a blue moon.
• Few and far between: An idiom meaning "rare and occurring with much time between instances."
  • Good job offers like that are few and far between.

Học thuật

Adverb

1. not often
   • we rarely met

Từ đồng nghĩa

• seldom