rare
18
6.9
- adjective
- /rɛr/
- Specialized
:
rarefacto
- In a near-vacuum, collisions between gas particles are rare.
- rare gas
Examples
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In places such as Germany, where coal is plentiful and natural gas is rare, gasification remained an important technology.
Academic text (2003) -
The U.S. military needs rare earths for night-vision goggles, cruise missiles, and other weapons.
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Christian's case is slightly unique in that he has a rare blood and tissue type.
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Its mountains are rich in minerals and rare earth metals.
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It's a rare condition.
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Your blood has a very rare phenotype, one we haven't encountered before.
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It's made of ataxite, a rare type of iron meteorite with a high nickel content.
Blog text (34) -
In a near-vacuum, collisions between gas particles are rare; collisions between particles and photons are more important.
Academic text (1996) -
Since then, experiments have verified liquid-like surface layers on metals, semiconductors, molecular solids, and rare gases.
Academic text (2005) -
A day later, British health authorities announced that a rare radioactive element, polonium-210, was found in Litvinenko's urine.
Synonyms
2
8.5
Thin air high above the ground
1
4.3
A space that has little material or few people
1
9.0
Thin air high above the ground that is hard to breathe
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
How Dense
Surface Forms
Etymology
Rare comes from the Latin rarus, meaning 'thin' or 'spread out'. That's why we call high mountain air or a light gas 'rare' — it is not tightly packed and feels thin.