Meaning of “rare” in the English Dictionary

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"rare" in English

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rareadjective

uk ​ /reər/ us ​ /rer/

rare adjective (NOT COMMON)

B1 not common; very unusual:

a rare disease/species
The museum is full of rare and precious treasures.
a rare occasion/opportunity/visit/treat, etc.
[ + to infinitive ] It's very rare to find these birds in New England in winter.
It's very rare to find someone who combines such qualities.

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

rareness
noun [ U ] /ˈreə.nəs/ /ˈrer.nəs/

›

The main attraction of this butterfly is its rareness.

Idiom(s)

have a rare old time
rare bird

(Definition of “rare” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"rare" in American English

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rareadjective

us ​ /reər/

rare adjective (NOT COMMON)

› not common and therefore sometimes valuable:

rare species of birds
Success like that is extremely rare.
She’s usually positive, but on rare occasions disappointment shows through.
With rare exceptions, the families in this town have lived here for generations.

rare adjective (SLIGHTLY COOKED)

› [ -er/-est only ] (esp. of meat) not cooked for very long and still red inside:

rare steak

(Definition of “rare” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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