SELDOM

rarely, seldom

(adverb) not often; “we rarely met”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adverb

seldom (comparative more seldom or seldomer, superlative most seldom or seldomest)

Infrequently, rarely.

Synonyms: barely, hardly, rarely, scarcely, infrequently, seldomly, Thesaurus:occasionally

Antonyms: often, frequently, Thesaurus:often

Usage notes

• It is grammatically a negative word. It therefore collocates with ever rather than never. Compare he seldom ever plays tennis with he almost never plays tennis.

• The form seldomly, derived from the (now archaic) adjectival use, exists, but has not gained widespread acceptance.

Adjective

seldom (comparative more seldom or seldomer, superlative most seldom or seldomest)

(archaic) Rare; infrequent.

Synonyms: geason, uncommon, Thesaurus:rare

Anagrams

• lesdom, models, somdel

Source: Wiktionary


Sel"dom, adv. [Usually, compar. More seldom (; superl. Most seldom (; but sometimes also, Seldomer (, Seldomest.] Etym: [AS. seldan, seldon, seldum, fr. seld rare; akin to OFries. sielden, D. zelden, G. selten, OHG. seltan, Icel. sjaldan, Dan. sielden, Sw. sällan, Goth. sildaleiks marvelous.]

Definition: Rarely; not often; not frequently. Wisdom and youth are seldom joined in one. Hooker.

Sel"dom, a.

Definition: Rare; infrequent. [Archaic.] "A suppressed and seldom anger." Jer. Taylor.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

28 April 2025

HAPPY

(adjective) enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure; “a happy smile”; “spent many happy days on the beach”; “a happy marriage”


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Coffee Trivia

Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world. Each year Brazil exports more than 44 million bags of coffee. Vietnam follows at exporting over 27 million bags each year.

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