rare

1
[ rair ]
See synonyms for: rarerarerrarestraring on Thesaurus.com

adjective,rar·er, rar·est.
  1. coming or occurring far apart in time; unusual; uncommon: a rare disease;His visits are rare occasions.

  2. thinly distributed over an area; few and widely separated: Lighthouses are rare on that part of the coast.

  1. having the component parts not closely compacted together; not dense: rare gases;lightheaded from the rare mountain air.

  2. unusually great: a rare display of courage.

  3. unusually excellent; admirable; fine: She showed rare tact in inviting them.

Origin of rare

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rar(e), rer(e) “light, airy, loose,” from Latin rārus “loose, porous, wide apart, thin, infrequent”

Other words for rare

Opposites for rare

Other words from rare

  • rareness, noun

Words that may be confused with rare

Words Nearby rare

Other definitions for rare (2 of 3)

rare2
[ rair ]

adjective,rar·er, rar·est.
  1. (of meat) cooked just slightly: He likes his steak rare.

Origin of rare

2
First recorded in 1610–20; variant of earlier rear, Middle English rere, hrere, Old English hrēr “(of eggs) lightly boiled”

Other words from rare

  • rareness, noun

Other definitions for rare (3 of 3)

rare3
[ rair ]

verb (used without object),rared, rar·ing.Older Use.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rare in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rare (1 of 2)

rare1

/ (rɛə) /


adjective
  1. not widely known; not frequently used or experienced; uncommon or unusual: a rare word

  2. occurring seldom: a rare appearance

  1. not widely distributed; not generally occurring: a rare herb

  2. (of a gas, esp the atmosphere at high altitudes) having a low density; thin; rarefied

  3. uncommonly great; extreme: kind to a rare degree

  4. exhibiting uncommon excellence; superlatively good or fine: rare skill

  5. highly valued because of its uncommonness: a rare prize

Origin of rare

1
C14: from Latin rārus sparse

Derived forms of rare

  • rareness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for rare (2 of 2)

rare2

/ (rɛə) /


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

Origin of rare

2
Old English hrēr; perhaps related to hreaw raw

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012