rarelyrare‧ly /ˈreəli $ ˈrerli/ ●●● W2 adverb 
Examples
She very rarely complains. This method is rarely used in modern laboratories.GRAMMAR: Word order• Rarely usually comes before a verb: · He rarely plays any sports.• Rarely usually comes after the verb ‘be’: · She is rarely wrong.• Rarely usually comes after an auxiliary verb such as ‘do’ or ‘have’: · I have rarely seen someone eat so much.• In written English, rarely is sometimes used at the beginning of a sentence before an auxiliary, to emphasize that something seems surprising or special: · Rarely has a film looked so striking.· Rarely does such a good investment opportunity arise.Grammar guide ‒ ADVERBSTHESAURUSrarely not often: · These geese are rarely found on inland waters.· 50% of Britons say they rarely eat meat.not (very) often often used in everyday English instead of saying rarely: · Tina’s not often late.· I don’t go there very often.· It’s not often that you get a chance like this.seldom rarely. Seldom is more formal than rarely and is used especially in written English: · He seldom slept well.· They seldom went out.hardly ever/scarcely ever almost never: · Ben’s nineteen and he’s hardly ever at home these days.· For some reason, her name was scarcely ever mentioned.very occasionally used when you want to emphasize that something only happens a few times over a long period of time: · Very occasionally the temperature drops to below 30.
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Alan rarely talked about his own work.
- Very rarely does she eat any kind of meat.
- Athletes play on one leg all the time in terms of injury but rarely if ever on no legs.
- In practice, however, we have rarely fought any of our major wars with an exclusively Continental or Maritime strategy.
- It had the dusty smell of an apartment whose windows were rarely opened.
- More rarely, however, have those between the same sheets remained largely unaware of their intimate if odd companionship.
- Nowadays, the public is rarely shocked by swearing.
- She is loved and visited by many, and is rarely alone.
- This mechanism is rarely used but is handy when a case is stalling.
THESAURUS► rarely
Collocations not often: · These geese are rarely found on inland waters.· 50% of Britons say they rarely eat meat.
► not (very) often often used in everyday English instead of saying rarely: · Tina’s not often late.· I don’t go there very often.· It’s not often that you get a chance like this.
► seldom rarely. Seldom is more formal than rarely and is used especially in written English: · He seldom slept well.· They seldom went out.
► hardly ever/scarcely ever almost never: · Ben’s nineteen and he’s hardly ever at home these days.· For some reason, her name was scarcely ever mentioned.
► very occasionally used when you want to emphasize that something only happens a few times over a long period of time: · Very occasionally the temperature drops to below 30.
Longman Language Activatornot common and existing only in small numbers► rare an animal, plant, object etc that is rare does not exist in large numbers or in large amounts: · A new law to prevent the export of rare birds is to be introduced.· They're pretty rare. Only about a hundred were made.· The palace library contains some of the rarest books in Europe.· In Cholon's narrow streets, Europeans were far rarer than on the boulevards of Saigon.
► scarce something that is scarce , especially something that people need such as food, clothing, or water, is not available in large enough numbers or amounts at the moment: · After the war, food and clothing were scarce.· With the increase in trade, good timber for shipbuilding was becoming scarcer.scarce resources: · Government departments often found themselves competing for scarce resources.
► not common fairly rare, especially in one particular area or group: · Silver coins of this period are not common, and could be very valuable.· Although tigers still exist, they're not very common.
► be thin on the ground British if you say that people or things of a particular type are thin on the ground , you mean that there are very few available and they are hard to find when you need them: · Our only problem is finding staff, because good programmers are really thin on the ground.· Magazines about home improvement were very thin on the ground at the time - not like now.
► be few and far between to not be as common as you expect or as you would like: · The schools are crowded, and good teachers are few and far between.· Toys were few and far between, but the children invented games and played together.
► be/become a rarity if something or someone is a rarity , it is surprising to find one, because very few exist: · The traditional costume is becoming a rarity, even in remote villages.be something of a rarity (=be fairly rare): · Women are still something of a rarity in senior management positions.
► there aren't many around informal use this to say that something is rare, especially something that has been made such as a machine, car, or piece of furniture: · He drives an original Volkswagen, and there aren't many of those around these days.
not happening often► rare something that is rare does not happen often: · Snow is a rare sight here, except on the mountains.· On the rare occasions when we had to work hard, we enjoyed it.· In a rare moment of vanity, Carl removed his glasses.it is rare for somebody/something to do something: · It is very rare for anyone to actually die from bee stings in this country.
► uncommon/not common fairly rare: · Crimes against elderly people are still uncommon.· Her time in hospital had given her an empathy with her patients not common among physicians.it is uncommon to do something: · When I was young it was uncommon to see a man pushing a baby buggy.
► you don't often do something spoken if you say you don't often see something, find something etc, you mean this happens only very rarely: · You don't often find really good tropical fruit in this country.· We had over 200 replies. You don't often get such a good response from an advert.
► infrequent formal not happening often: · As time went on, her visits became more and more infrequent.· Cases of typhoid are relatively infrequent in Northern Europe.· Roger's infrequent letters home did not reveal much about his personal life.
rarely/not often► rarely/seldom not at all often. Seldom is more formal than rarely and is used especially in written English: · The Queen rarely speaks to journalists.· Discipline is rarely a problem in this school.· They're a very nice young couple, although I very seldom see them.rarely does/has somebody: · Very rarely do we have a complaint from any of our customers.· Seldom have I seen such a miraculous recovery in one of my patients.rarely/seldom, if ever: · Anti-government demonstrations do occur, but they are seldom, if ever, reported in the press.
► not often · I don't often see my grandchildren.· Sometimes, but not very often, Pippa persuaded her father to lend her his car.· Tina didn't get to work until ten o'clock this morning, which is unusual because she's not often late.it's not often (that) · Of course I'm going to take the job, it's not often that you get a chance like this.
► hardly/scarcely ever almost never: · My grandmother hardly ever goes out of the house.· She's hardly ever ill.· We scarcely ever walk through the town without meeting someone we know.· There used to be a lot of disputes over land boundaries but nowadays such problems scarcely ever arise.
► once in a blue moon informal extremely rarely: · I used to spend a lot of time in London, but now I only go there once in a blue moon.· Once in a blue moon Eric will offer to help with the dishes, but usually he doesn't do any housework at all.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY► rarely plays
Word family· He rarely plays any sports.
► is rarely· She is rarely wrong.
► have rarely· I have rarely seen someone eat so much.
► Rarely has· Rarely has a film looked so striking.
► Rarely does· Rarely does such a good investment opportunity arise.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE► used· There was a silver cigarette lighter in the desk drawer, he remembered, rarely used now that he'd almost given up.· It is also the most expensive, the least popular and the most rarely used.· An Inhibition as mentioned above, is rarely used.· Technically, judicial review was available, but it was rarely used.· The final safety net, available but rarely used is a nine-month monetary support arrangement.· The trainers are rarely used, and I generally return with the paperwork untouched.· These proposals add little to existing, though rarely used, provisions for guardianship under the Mental Health Act 1983.· Solvents are usually mixed with detergents and are rarely used alone.
VERB► achieve· Young men's friendships rarely achieve the depth of intimacy of young women's.· Stretches and deep body work rarely achieved on dry land can be performed in the water.· Slanging matches rarely achieve anything positive, and other anger responses can be even more destructive.· In practice this is rarely achieved by health services and local authorities and almost never includes private and voluntary sectors.· It requires a degree of unification which environmentalists can rarely achieve with dignity.· However, the farm worker rarely achieves what is necessary to bring himself before the attention of the public.· Apart from this, their race, and often their language, gives them a solidarity which white workers can only rarely achieve.
► come· Even La Scala, where an opening-night stall seat goes for £500, rarely comes close to breaking even.· Moreover, he was hanging out with writers and painters and rarely came home at night.· Many are scavengers; others rarely come to land except to breed.· Only if there is a bad drought and even then the women rarely come.· Diana rarely came to the house more than twice a year.· Danby and the other great Gorge masters rarely come to auction or are found for sale in galleries.· In truth, she rarely came across them.
► do· Apart from politically inspired race riots in the early 1960s, rarely did Black people behave badly towards us.· Everyone else is capable of a big game but rarely do they occur together.· Secondly, that only very, very rarely does television stretch most people's intelligence.· So far, though, they rarely do.· Though men are more likely to approach a woman and deliver a dubious line, they rarely do so unprompted.· The next day, she stayed home from work, something she rarely did, pleading illness.· Very rarely do baseball games start at midnight.· Of course, it rarely does.
► find· Jack had not expected anything else; hunters rarely find their quarry presented to them on a plate.· Historians of religion are familiar with these words of Saint Catherine, but one rarely finds them in popular devotional treatises.· I rarely find much satisfaction in debating harder abstractions or metaphysical teasers with him.· This style of leader decision authority is rarely found in health care organizations.· Contemporary artists favour a droit de suite with near unanimity, even though their work rarely finds a secondary market.· You rarely find consideration of the social context of error, or of its significance in the growth of the writer.· Such a setting is rarely found but on a college campus and permission may be difficult to obtain for its use.
► get· Even if you have been paying premiums for many years, you will rarely get a proportion of its maturity value.· The average customer is a person who has no trouble getting first dates but rarely gets beyond that.· Despite that, it is hardy and rarely gets diseases, but has not been tank-bred.· But it rarely gets the status or the attention it deserves.· Even failures to replicate are not very interesting to the journals; experiments with negative results therefore rarely get reported.· And the agency rarely gets outside scrutiny.· She rarely got upset with either of her daughters, but she certainly was now.· Second, a weak and outnumbered Democratic Party rarely gets help from the large block of independent voters.
► give· We shall see, however, that electronic spectra rarely give us direct information about molecular structures.· The contract rarely gives detailed specifications on materials but gives the builder the right to substitute.· He usually left this shop to the end because they rarely gave him an order and the road was one he hated.· And to women it rarely gave any opportunity at all.· Questionnaires and achievement scores may be used but they are rarely given high priority.· Writers were poorly paid, rarely given a screen credit and never encouraged to take a fresh approach.· Published bibliographies rarely give level indicators, and publishers' information tends, in this respect, to be unreliable.· To break this is to break the code, so it is rarely given.
► happen· Academic research tells us that this rarely happens perfectly and so we need to examine the effects of the policy in practice.· A welcoming in of what is outside that rarely happens in Manhattan.· But then today that kind of interview rarely happens.· It may happen rarely in arid or semi-arid climates.· But it rarely happens that way.· In practice this rarely happens and a mild reaction is commonly produced.· Yet such direction rarely happens in a vacuum.
► hear· I've rarely heard a more entertaining interview.· San Diegans, however, rarely hear them.· The familiar mainland gripe of skill shortages is rarely heard in Northern Ireland.· From that start Leiber and Stoller went on from 1951 to 1956 to write songs rarely heard by whites.· Again, I have only rarely heard anything which has interested me.· Once the staple of popular novels, music and movies, we rarely hear praise of the R-word any more.· One has rarely heard him sing with more authority, and never seen him so communicative, happy and funny.· The stories rarely heard are those of satisfied customers like Patricia Lopez of El Cajon.
► leave· Today, ironically, McGuinness himself rarely leaves the Bogside, where he was born, for fear of assassination.· They rarely leave their home in suburban San Diego, but did visit children over Christmas.· She rarely left her hotel and ate her evening meal in her suite.· Well over eighty years of age, and unable to walk without support, he now rarely leaves his room.· They rarely leave the area during the day, and never at night, Chaniago said.· Johnstone had rarely left the field prior to the Raiders' 25-10 loss to San Diego last weekend.· Expulsion is an extreme sanction which will rarely leave the continuing, innocent partners entirely unscathed.· In fact Chardin's work makes one feel that he rarely left his house.
► mention· Another, rarely mentioned problem with teleworking is that many people who work from home do not really have enough space.· The presidential candidates were rarely mentioned in the Senate campaigns.· In recent years Devi was rarely mentioned in the newspapers.· In his last two campaigns for president, Bob Dole rarely mentioned his disability.· Textbooks on research methods rarely mention the problems that arise when undertaking research on controversial topics or conducting it in sensitive locations.· In the good old days of rampant dualism, the mind was rarely mentioned in polite society.· That you are proud of their work and that you want others to share in your pleasure is rarely mentioned.· She rarely mentions her late husband so I presume he didn't make up for much.
► see· You rarely see a direct response ad which does not put a clear offer - and the price - in its headline.· You rarely see that people are perfectly balanced on these.· That is why you rarely see anyone sticking up for political correctness.· Small eggs were not uncommon a few years ago; they are rarely seen today.· Moustaches and beards were rarely seen on skins; shaving was obligatory and stubble not accepted.· But behind this tough exterior lies a side of Marley that's rarely seen.· He must have come from the country for the lava-lava was rarely seen in the towns, however small.· Seventy-nine works are included, some rarely seen outside private collections.
► seem· It rarely seems to deliver what any of us, hand on heart, could say is justice.· Frequency rarely seems to be the criterion for adding special circumstances.· However, children rarely seem to be informed about the possibility of separation or divorce.· George said he always found it frustrating to play with Robbie because his son rarely seemed interested in playing with him.· Yet except in times of war or acute external threat, this seems rarely to happen in modern democratic societies.· Vexatious, persistent winds have rarely seemed so unnecessary.· No doubt some are, but when it comes to the next crisis, they rarely seem to be applied.· Such contesting voices, though, seem rarely heard beyond academia.
► speak· Although they rarely speak about it.· I rarely spoke to express preferences, preferring to use body language.· It rarely speaks, though if frightened it may bleat like a goat. some occasionally have goats' shanks and hooves as well.· Yes, Barkley has spoken rarely about retirement this season, and he has been free of major injuries.· She rarely spoke and, when addressed, she replied in a whisper, eyes averted.· She rarely speaks in class and had refused to write the short autobiographies the other students in Level Two were writing.· He rarely spoke to the rest of us peasants in the house, though when he did he was nothing but polite.· The laconic Joey Ramone rarely spoke.
► use· Friends are rarely used as carers.· The machine is several years old but still looks new because it is rarely used.· What that experience demonstrates is that the teacher very rarely uses the voluminous information, which is nevertheless conscientiously stored and retained.· Consequently, we rarely used powerful, permanently emplaced mines.· Settings of the Holy Communion and of canticles are rarely used, however, and the emphasis remains firmly congregational.· Preoperational children rarely use a strategy based on reasoning.· They didn't enter the room he had come from, but Travis led her down to one she had rarely used.· She said she rarely uses the telephone at work, relying instead on e-mail.
WORD FAMILYnounrarityadjectiverareadverbrarely
not often OPP frequently: She very rarely complains. This method is rarely used in modern laboratories.GRAMMAR: Word order• Rarely usually comes before a verb: · He rarely plays any sports.• Rarely usually comes after the verb ‘be’: · She is rarely wrong.• Rarely usually comes after an auxiliary verb such as ‘do’ or ‘have’: · I have rarely seen someone eat so much.• In written English, rarely is sometimes used at the beginning of a sentence before an auxiliary, to emphasize that something seems surprising or special: · Rarely has a film looked so striking.· Rarely does such a good investment opportunity arise.Grammar guide ‒ ADVERBSTHESAURUSrarely not often: · These geese are rarely found on inland waters.· 50% of Britons say they rarely eat meat.not (very) often often used in everyday English instead of saying rarely: · Tina’s not often late.· I don’t go there very often.· It’s not often that you get a chance like this.seldom rarely. Seldom is more formal than rarely and is used especially in written English: · He seldom slept well.· They seldom went out.hardly ever/scarcely ever almost never: · Ben’s nineteen and he’s hardly ever at home these days.· For some reason, her name was scarcely ever mentioned.very occasionally used when you want to emphasize that something only happens a few times over a long period of time: · Very occasionally the temperature drops to below 30.