rarity

American  

[rair-i-tee] / ˈrɛər ɪ ti /

noun

plural

rarities

1. something rare, unusual, or uncommon.

   Snowstorms are a rarity in the South.

2. something esteemed or interesting in being rare, uncommon, or curious.

   That folio is a rarity that will bring a good price.

3. the state or quality of being rare.

4. rare occurrence; infrequency.

   Volcanic eruptions on the island occur with great rarity.

5. unusual excellence.

6. thinness, as of air or a gas.

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rarity British  

/ ˈrɛərɪtɪ /

noun

1. a rare person or thing, esp something interesting or valued because it is uncommon

2. the state or quality of being rare

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Etymology

Origin of rarity

1550–60; < Latin rāritās thinness, equivalent to rār ( us ) rare ¹ + -itās -ity

Example Sentences

Bodytraffic quickly became a beacon for contemporary dance in a city where such a company was a rarity.

From Los Angeles Times

Even rain, a rarity in a region that averages fewer than 20 days a year, has a habit of arriving during the tournament’s early-March window, occasionally bringing cold drizzle and delays.

From Los Angeles Times

The jury concluded: "The rarity of the disease and unusual presentation led to a difficulty in reaching a diagnosis but this did not affect the outcome."

From BBC

Built around former Nokia workers, the team behind the Jolla phone at first tackled software, building their own operating system for their devices -- a rarity on a market dominated by Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

From Barron's

The combined firm put extra effort into courting wealthy individuals, a rarity at the time.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• infrequency
• rareness
• uncommonness