rare

rare — adjective

1. Something that does not happen often, is not found in large numbers, or is not s

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

Something that does not happen often, is not found in large numbers, or is not seen in many places.

Example

Snow is rare in southern Taiwan, so the children were thrilled when it fell on the mountain tops.

it is rare + location/context, showing low frequency

Asher collects rare coins from the Qing dynasty and keeps them in a special box.

attributive use: rare + noun (object of collecting)

Common collocations
  • rare species
  • rare disease
  • rare opportunity
  • rare occurrence
  • rare sight
  • rare gem
Synonyms
  • uncommon

    neutral synonym; 'rare' suggests greater scarcity

  • scarce

    emphasises insufficient quantity; often used for resources

  • infrequent

    focuses on how seldom something happens rather than overall quantity

Antonyms
  • common

    direct opposite; something that happens often or is found everywhere

  • frequent

    opposite for events; happens many times

Grammar Patterns

rare + noun

be rare

it is rare (for someone) to do something

Usage Note

Frequently modified by intensifiers such as 'very', 'extremely', 'increasingly', and 'quite'. The pattern 'it is rare (for someone) to do something' is common in both speech and writing.

Common Mistakes

This flower is very rare seen in the city.
This flower is rarely seen in the city.
'rare' is an adjective; use 'rarely' (adverb) before past participles.
It is rare that he comes here.' (acceptable but less natural)
It is rare for him to come here.
'it is rare for + noun + to-infinitive' is the preferred pattern in everyday English.

2. Unusually good or impressive in a way that makes someone or something stand out

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

Unusually good or impressive in a way that makes someone or something stand out from others.

Example

The young pianist has a rare talent for expressing emotion through her playing.

rare talent — fixed collocation for exceptional ability

Diya's grandfather had a rare gift for fixing old clocks without any modern tools.

rare gift — natural ability that stands out

Common collocations
  • rare talent
  • rare beauty
  • rare skill
  • rare gift
  • rare courage
  • rare intelligence
Synonyms
  • exceptional

    more formal; directly states the high quality

  • remarkable

    emphasises that something is worth noticing

  • distinctive

    focuses on the quality that makes someone or something different

Antonyms
  • ordinary

    without special qualities; not standing out

  • mediocre

    of only average quality; somewhat negative

Grammar Patterns

rare + abstract noun (talent, beauty, skill, gift)

Usage Note

In this sense 'rare' modifies abstract nouns describing admirable qualities. Unlike sense 1, it does NOT mean 'infrequent'; it means 'remarkable in degree'. Frequently paired with: talent, beauty, courage, skill, gift, intelligence.

Common Mistakes

She is a rare doctor.' (unclear — do you mean uncommon or excellent?)
She is a doctor of rare skill.
use a quality noun after 'of rare' to make the meaning clear.
This is a rare chance.' (ambiguous — could be about frequency or quality)
This is a rare opportunity to learn from a master.
add context showing the quality, not just scarcity.

3. Red meat that has been heated briefly on the outside while the centre remains re

3.adjectiveB1
Definition

Red meat that has been heated briefly on the outside while the centre remains reddish, tender, and juicy.

Example

Élise ordered her steak rare, with a side of roasted vegetables and a glass of red wine.

predicative: order + noun + rare

The chef recommends serving the lamb rare so that the natural flavour of the meat stays strong.

serve + noun + rare — common pattern at restaurants

Common collocations
  • rare steak
  • rare beef
  • cooked rare
  • serve rare
  • order rare
  • medium rare
Synonyms
  • underdone

    broader term; can sound negative or imply insufficient cooking

  • bloody

    informal British term; not used in polite restaurant settings

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be rare (predicative)

rare + noun (steak, meat, lamb, beef)

Usage Note

This sense applies only to red meat (beef, lamb, venison) and tuna. It is never used for chicken, pork, or fish other than tuna. The doneness scale for steak is: blue → rare → medium-rare → medium → medium-well → well-done.

Common Mistakes

I ordered my chicken rare.
I ordered my steak rare.
never use 'rare' for chicken or pork; they must be cooked through for safety.

❌ 'The steak was very rare.' (acceptable for intensity) — more naturally: 'The steak was cooked rare.' or 'The steak was quite rare.' — 'cooked rare' is the most common pattern.

4. Air that contains less oxygen than normal because it is high above sea level, ma

4.adjectiveC1
Definition

Air that contains less oxygen than normal because it is high above sea level, making physical activity very tiring.

Example

At the base camp on Mount Everest, the rare air made even simple tasks feel exhausting.

attributive: rare + air — the most common pattern

The climbers had to stop every few steps to catch their breath in the thin, rare atmosphere of the Andes.

rare + atmosphere — alternative noun; 'thin' often co-occurs

Common collocations
  • rare air
  • rare atmosphere
Synonyms
  • thin

    the everyday synonym; 'thin air' is much more common than 'rare air'

  • low-oxygen

    technical term used in physiology and mountaineering

Antonyms
  • dense

    air containing more oxygen; found at or near sea level

  • heavy

    informal opposite; air that feels thick and rich in oxygen

Grammar Patterns

rare + noun (air, atmosphere)

Usage Note

Now somewhat literary or technical. In everyday conversation, speakers usually say 'thin air' instead of 'rare air'. This sense is almost exclusively attributive — you will not hear 'The air is rare today.'

5. Used before a noun to emphasise that something is an excellent or extreme exampl

5.adjectiveB2
Definition

Used before a noun to emphasise that something is an excellent or extreme example of its kind, often in fixed, friendly expressions.

Example

We had a rare old time at the street party, with live music and dancing until midnight.

fixed expression: a rare old time

The homemade chocolate cake was a rare treat that the children talked about for days.

fixed expression: a rare treat

Common collocations
  • rare treat
  • rare delight
  • rare old time
  • rare laugh
Synonyms
  • absolute

    stronger and more neutral in register; works in any variety of English

  • sheer

    similar intensifying function; 'sheer delight' is a common alternative

  • proper

    British informal; 'a proper treat' means the same thing

Grammar Patterns

rare + noun (treat, delight, fun, old time)

Usage Note

Mostly British English, and largely confined to a small set of fixed expressions: 'a rare treat', 'a rare delight', 'a rare old time', 'a rare laugh'. These are used in friendly, conversational contexts to show enthusiasm.

Common Mistakes

We had rare fun at the party.' (sounds odd)
We had a rare old time at the party.
the fixed phrase needs 'old' to sound natural.
That was a rare good movie.
That movie was a rare treat.
'rare' precedes a noun (treat), not an adjective (good).

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Rare' is the broadest and most common word for something that is not often seen, found, or experienced — it can describe objects, events, diseases, or natural phenomena ('a rare flower', 'a rare event'). 'Uncommon' is a softer, more neutral alternative; it simply says something is not usual without the special value that 'rare' sometimes implies. 'Scarce' focuses on insufficient quantity and is mostly used for resources, food, or money ('water is scarce during the drought'); it carries a sense of shortage. 'Infrequent' is narrower, referring only to how seldom something happens over time ('infrequent bus service'). Use 'rare' when you want to suggest that something is not only uncommon but also interesting or valuable; use 'scarce' when the emphasis is on lack; and use 'infrequent' for events that occur at long intervals.

rare ↗uncommon ↗scarce ↗infrequent

Common collocations

Nouns

  • rare species
  • rare disease
  • rare occasion
  • rare opportunity
  • rare case
  • rare form

Adverbs

  • very rare
  • extremely rare
  • increasingly rare
  • quite rare
  • fairly rare
  • relatively rare

Phrases

  • rare and unusual
  • rare or endangered
  • rare to find

Prepositions

  • rare among
  • rare in

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

'Rare' comes from Latin 'rarus' meaning 'loose, wide apart, thin, not dense'. In Latin it described things with space between them, like grains of sand or scattered trees. The sense of 'thin air' (sense 4) is the oldest English meaning, dating from the 1400s. By the 1500s it had shifted to mean 'uncommon' or 'seldom found' (sense 1) — the idea being that something rare is set far apart like widely scattered objects. The steak doneness sense (sense 3) appeared in the 1600s, originally describing any lightly cooked meat. The intensifying sense (sense 5, 'a rare treat') developed in British colloquial use in the 1800s.