seldom

/'seldəm/

Thân thiện

We seldom see a shooting star in the city.

Definition

Adverb: - Not often; rarely; on few occasions: Used to indicate that something happens or is done infrequently.

Usage

"Seldom" is used to describe an action or event that occurs very infrequently. It typically comes before the main verb in a sentence, or after the verb "to be." It is a formal synonym for "rarely."

Examples

Advanced Usage

• "Seldom if ever": Used to emphasize extreme rarity, meaning something almost never happens.
  • He seldom if ever complains about his workload.
• "Seldom or never": A stronger form meaning something happens very rarely or not at all.
  • They seldom or never visit their relatives abroad.

Variants and Related Words

• Seldomness (noun, rare): The quality or state of being infrequent.
  • The seldomness of his appearances made them more special.

Synonyms

• Rarely
• Infrequently
• Hardly ever
• Once in a blue moon (idiomatic)

Antonyms

• Often
• Frequently
• Usually
• Commonly

Related Idioms

• Few and far between: Very rare or infrequent.
  • Good jobs like that are few and far between.
• Once in a lifetime: Happening only once in a person's life; extremely rare.
  • It was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Học thuật

Adverb

1. not often
   • we rarely met

Từ đồng nghĩa

• rarely