rarity
Americannoun
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something rare, unusual, or uncommon.
Snowstorms are a rarity in the South.
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something esteemed or interesting in being rare, uncommon, or curious.
That folio is a rarity that will bring a good price.
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the state or quality of being rare.
-
rare occurrence; infrequency.
Volcanic eruptions on the island occur with great rarity.
-
unusual excellence.
-
thinness, as of air or a gas.
noun
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a rare person or thing, esp something interesting or valued because it is uncommon
-
the state or quality of being rare
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of rarity
1550–60; < Latin rāritās thinness, equivalent to rār ( us ) rare 1 + -itās -ity
Vocabulary lists containing rarity
"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning
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"The Tempest," Vocabulary from Acts 1 and 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The rarity of Eddins’ indictment makes it all the more valuable.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
In other words, a benefit like the caregiver leave that EMD Serono offers is still a rarity.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Mission Viejo’s Johnson said he has three tight ends with college offers, another rarity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
Most of all, this mix of pugnacity and pragmatism has enabled the 49-year-old Meloni, Italy’s first female prime minister, to achieve a rarity for Italy: a stable government.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
It was a rarity for him, and he wanted to cherish that.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
The diehards chase the rarities, Springsteen changes songs in and out as the spirit moves him, and there was one tour where he took requests via sign from the audience.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
Displays have included rarities like a 1792 linen shirt belonging to a son of Marie Antoinette and the Yves Saint-Laurent mid-1960s Mondrian dress that belonged to French singer Juliette Greco.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
The trial, which began Monday, has marked a pair of legal rarities in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025
Once rarities, they are now appearing at occasions ranging from birthday parties and weddings, to major sporting events.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2025
All rarities, for which he had squandered two weeks’ salary—borrowed in advance from Mr. Sloat.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
