rare ‧ ly W2 /ˈreəli $ ˈrerli/ BrE AmE adverb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ rarity ; adverb : ↑ rarely ; adjective : ↑ rare ]
not often OPP frequently :
She very rarely complains.
This method is rarely used in modern laboratories.
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GRAMMAR
In formal or literary writing, rarely can be put first, followed by an auxiliary and the subject, to emphasize that something does not often happen:
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Rarely is the customer consulted on the changes.
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THESAURUS
▪ rarely not often:
These geese are rarely found on inland waters.
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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.
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I don't go there very often.
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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.
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They seldom went out.
▪ hardly ever/scarcely ever almost never:
Ben’s nineteen and he’s hardly ever at home these days.
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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.