Word · CEFR B1 · Frequency #2122
rarely
很少；难得；不常
not often; seldom
- 1.
Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often.
不定期发生；很少；不常
- 2.
not often
不常
- 3.
Unusually well; excellently.
异常地好；极好地。
- 4.
To a rare degree; very.
极少程度；非常
非常；极其；出色地；极好地；不定期发生；很少；不常；不常；异常地好；极好地。
In use
I rarely drink coffee after 6 p.m.
It rarely snows in this region.
Such rare birds are rarely seen in urban areas.
we rarely met
rarely + verb
通常放在实义动词前。
She rarely speaks in meetings.
她在会议上很少发言。
Rarely + auxiliary + subject + verb
当rarely置于句首时，主谓倒装。
Rarely does he miss a deadline.
他很少错过截止日期。
rarely + be + complement
修饰系表结构。
Connections
Collocations
- rarely used
- 很少使用的
- This word is rarely used in everyday conversation.这个词在日常对话中很少使用。
- rarely seen
- 很少见到的
- That species is rarely seen in this area.那个物种在这个地区很少见到。
- rarely happens
- 很少发生
- Accidents of this kind rarely happen.这类事故很少发生。
- rarely if ever
- 几乎从不
- He rarely if ever complains about anything.他几乎从不抱怨任何事情。
Idioms & figurative uses
- rarely if ever
- 几乎从不He rarely if ever takes a day off work.他几乎从不休假。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
联想到“rare”（稀有的），加上“ly”变成副词，意为“很少地”，就像稀有的事情不常发生。
Context & Register
[object Object]
Grammar Note
用于句首时，句子需部分倒装（助动词提前）。
Pronunciation & Spelling
Words ending in '-ely' with the stressed vowel /ɛər/ (like 'barely', 'fairly', 'squarely') rhyme with 'rarely'. Beware of lookalikes like 'really' (/ˈrɪli/ or /ˈriːli/) which differ.
High-value vocabulary
该词属于 Oxford 核心词汇，值得优先掌握常见搭配和句型。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 3，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.