# rarely

Pronunciation: say "RAIR-lee" US /ˈɹɛəɹli/, UK /ˈɹɛːli/

## Adverb

1. Not often; happening only on infrequent occasions and without a regular pattern.
   - Simple: Not often, only once in a while.
   - _He rarely answers his phone after dinner._
   - _The committee rarely meets more than twice a year._
2. In an unusually good way; excellently.
   - Simple: In a very good or excellent way.
   - _The tailor had fashioned the coat rarely, and every seam sat perfectly._
   - _She danced rarely that night, drawing applause from the whole hall._
3. To an unusual or remarkable degree; very.
   - Simple: Very, or to an unusual degree. It makes a describing word stronger.
   - _The garden was rarely beautiful in the soft morning light._
   - _Critics agreed it had been a rarely fine performance, the best of the season._

## Origin

Formed from "rare" combined with the suffix "-ly."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/rarely (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).