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View synonyms for rare

adjective

, rar·er, rar·est.

1. coming or occurring far apart in time; unusual;
   uncommon:
   His visits are rare occasions.
   a rare disease;
   His visits are rare occasions.
   Synonyms: singular, extraordinary, exceptional
   Antonyms: common
2. thinly distributed over an area; few and widely separated:
   Lighthouses are rare on that part of the coast.
   Synonyms: infrequent, sparse
   Antonyms: frequent
3. having the component parts not closely compacted together; not dense:
   lightheaded from the rare mountain air.
   rare gases;
   lightheaded from the rare mountain air.
4. a rare display of courage.
5. She showed rare tact in inviting them.
   Synonyms: inimitable, incomparable, choice
   Antonyms: inferior

adjective

, rar·er, rar·est.

1. (of meat) cooked just slightly:
   He likes his steak rare.

verb (used without object)

, Older Use.

, rared, rar·ing.

/ rɛə /

adjective

1. (of meat, esp beef) very lightly cooked

/ rɛə /

adjective

1. not widely known; not frequently used or experienced; uncommon or unusual
   a rare word
2. a rare appearance
3. not widely distributed; not generally occurring
   a rare herb
4. (of a gas, esp the atmosphere at high altitudes) having a low density; thin; rarefied
5. uncommonly great; extreme
   kind to a rare degree
6. exhibiting uncommon excellence; superlatively good or fine
   rare skill
7. highly valued because of its uncommonness
   a rare prize

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Derived Forms

• ˈrareness, noun

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Other Words From

• rareness noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of rare1

First recorded in

1350–1400; Middle English rar(e), rer(e) “light, airy, loose,” from Latin rārus “loose, porous, wide apart, thin, infrequent”

Origin of rare2

First recorded in

1610–20;

variant of earlier rear, Middle English rere, hrere, Old English hrēr “(of eggs) lightly boiled”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of rare1

Old English hrēr ; perhaps related to hreaw raw

Origin of rare2

C14: from Latin rārus sparse

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Example Sentences

Notes from the meetings reveal a rare unvarnished view of the business.

Two rare cars that had been stored in a barn for more than four decades have been sold at auction, with both fetching more than the estimated sale prices.

Natural fires are normally rare in the damp conditions that prevail there.

When news a rare American songbird had been spotted in a sleepy West Yorkshire cul-de-sac eager ornithologists converged on the quiet street faster than a falcon in free fall.

Those high winds and low humidity rates prompted the weather service to issue a rare “particularly dangerous situation” red flag alert on Nov. 7, warning of “widespread, extreme fire weather conditions.”