RARE: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for RARE?

Need another word that means the same as “rare”? Find 44 synonyms and 30 related words for “rare” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Rare” are: uncommon, rarefied, rarified, infrequent, few and far between, scarce, sparse, scattered, thin on the ground, golden, like gold dust, unusual, unfamiliar, out of the ordinary, atypical, singular, remarkable, recherché, special, precious, exceptional, outstanding, unparalleled, peerless, matchless, unique, unequalled, incomparable, unrivalled, inimitable, without equal, second to none, unsurpassed, surpassing, exquisite, superb, consummate, superior, superlative, first-class, first-rate, choice, excellent, very fine

Rare as an Adjective

Definitions of "Rare" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “rare” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Marked by an uncommon quality; especially superlative or extreme of its kind.
• Unusually good or remarkable.
• Marked by an uncommon quality; especially superlative or extreme of its kind-J.R.Lowell.
• (of an event, situation, or condition) not occurring very often.
• Not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness.
• (of a thing) not found in large numbers and so of interest or value.
• Having low density.
• (of meat) cooked a short time; still red inside.
• Recurring only at long intervals.
• Cooked a short time; still red inside.
• Not widely distributed.

Synonyms of "Rare" as an adjective (44 Words)

atypical	Not representative of a group, class, or type. A sample of people who are rather atypical of the target audience.
choice	(especially of food) of very good quality. He picked some choice early plums.
consummate	Perfect and complete in every respect; having all necessary qualities. She dressed with consummate elegance.
excellent	Very good;of the highest quality. The lorry was in excellent condition.
exceptional	Surpassing what is common or usual or expected. Late claims will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances.
exquisite	Intense or sharp. Felt exquisite pleasure.
few and far between	A quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by `a’; a small but indefinite number.
first-class	Very good;of the highest quality.
first-rate	Of the highest quality.
golden	Supremely favored. Curls of glossy golden hair.
incomparable	Without an equal in quality or extent; matchless. The incomparable beauty of Venice.
infrequent	Not frequent; not occurring regularly or at short intervals. Her visits were so infrequent.
inimitable	Defying imitation; matchless. They took the charts by storm with their inimitable style.
like gold dust	Having the same or similar characteristics.
matchless	Eminent beyond or above comparison. Matchless beauty.
out of the ordinary	Outer or outlying.
outstanding	Owed as a debt. An outstanding war record.
peerless	Eminent beyond or above comparison. A peerless scholar.
precious	Greatly loved or treasured by someone. A precious lot you know about dogs.
rarefied	Having low density. Lightheaded from the rarefied mountain air.
rarified	Of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style- Oliver Franks.
recherché	Lavishly elegant and refined.
remarkable	Worthy of attention; striking. A remarkable achievement.
scarce	(especially of food, money, or some other resource) insufficient for the demand. Fresh vegetables were scarce during the drought.
scattered	(of electromagnetic radiation or particles) deflected or diffused. The forecast is for scattered showers.
second to none	A part or voice or instrument or orchestra section lower in pitch than or subordinate to the first.
singular	Relating to or of the nature of singularity. The third person singular form of the verb.
sparse	Scanty; in short supply. Information on earnings is sparse.
special	Used to denote education for children with particular needs especially those with learning difficulties. The special features of a computer.
superb	Used in names of birds with attractive or colourful plumage e g superb lyrebird. A superb actor.
superior	Of high or superior quality or performance. He is superior to fear.
superlative	Highest in quality. A superlative piece of skill.
surpassing	Exceeding or surpassing usual limits especially in excellence. A picture of surpassing beauty.
thin on the ground	Lacking spirit or sincere effort.
uncommon	Marked by an uncommon quality especially superlative or extreme of its kind. Frost and floods are uncommon during these months.
unequalled	Radically distinctive and without equal. Trout of unequalled quality.
unfamiliar	Not known or well known. A name unfamiliar to most.
unique	Being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else. A species unique to Australia.
unparalleled	Having no parallel or equal; exceptional. The sudden rise in unemployment is unparalleled in the post war period.
unrivalled	Better than everyone or everything of the same type. The paper s coverage of foreign news is unrivalled.
unsurpassed	Not capable of being improved on. The quality of workmanship is unsurpassed.
unusual	Not usual or common or ordinary. A man of unusual ability.
very fine	Precisely as stated.
without equal	Having the same quantity, value, or measure as another.

Usage Examples of "Rare" as an adjective

• He plays with rare sensitivity.
• Rare gasses.
• A rare word.
• Lightheaded from the rarefied mountain air.
• A rare genetic disorder.
• What is so rare as a day in June.
• Rare roast beef.
• Rare herbs.
• Total eclipses are rare events.
• A rare appearance.
• A rare skill.
• Rare patches of green in the desert.
• It's rare to see a house so little altered.
• Rare books.
• One of Britain's rarest birds, the honey buzzard.

Associations of "Rare" (30 Words)

anymore	At the present or from now on; usually used with a negative. Alice doesn t live here anymore.
barely	Only just; almost not. She barely seemed to notice him.
collectable	(of an item) worth collecting; of interest to a collector. The auction attracted professional dealers trading in quality small collectables.
curio	Something unusual — perhaps worthy of collecting. They had such fun over the wonderful box of curios that Jack had sent from India.
episodic	Occurring occasionally and at irregular intervals. Episodic television is a difficult medium to write for.
exceptional	Deviating widely from a norm of physical or mental ability; used especially of children below normal in intelligence. A child of exceptional ability.
frequently	Regularly or habitually; often. They go abroad frequently.
hardly	Only a very short time before. I nodded hardly able to breath.
infrequent	Not occurring often; rare. Her visits were so infrequent.
infrequently	Not many times. A storage area for infrequently used items.
intermittent	Occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady. Intermittent rain showers.
occasional	Recurring or reappearing from time to time. Occasional headaches.
occasionally	At infrequent or irregular intervals; now and then. Open areas are only occasionally interrupted by clumps of trees.
oddity	Eccentricity that is not easily explained. Realizing the oddity of the remark he retracted it.
often	Frequently or in great quantities. Vocabulary often reflects social standing.
oftentimes	Frequently; many times. Sensory processing is oftentimes a challenge for someone with ASD.
rarely	Not often. I rarely drive above 50 mph.
rareness	Noteworthy scarcity.
rarity	Something unusual — perhaps worthy of collecting. To take the morning off was a rarity.
scant	Work hastily or carelessly; deal with inadequately and superficially. The press regularly scants a host of issues relating to safety and health.
scanty	Women’s skimpy knickers or pants. The women looked cold in their scanty bodices.
scarce	Scarcely. He was scarce sixteen years old.
seldom	Not often. A great but seldom pleasure.
sometimes	On certain occasions or in certain cases but not always. Sometimes I want to do things on my own.
sparse	Not dense. Areas of sparse population.
sporadic	Occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated. Sporadic fighting broke out.
sporadically	In a sporadic manner. The comedy is only sporadically funny.
uncommon	Marked by an uncommon quality especially superlative or extreme of its kind. Prostate cancer is not uncommon in men over 60.
uncommonly	Exceptionally; very. He is an uncommonly good talker.
unusual	Being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird. The government has taken the unusual step of calling home its ambassador.