seldom
adverb
sel·dom
| \ ˈsel-dəm
\
\
Definition of seldom
(Entry 1 of 2)
: in few instances : rarely, infrequently
seldom
adjectiveDefinition of seldom (Entry 2 of 2)
: rare, infrequent
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Synonyms & Antonyms for seldom
Synonyms: Adverb
Antonyms: Adverb
frequently, oft, often, oftentimes (or ofttimes)
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Examples of seldom in a Sentence
Adverb
Employers also say that foreign-born workers tend to work harder, be more reliable, and complain less than the natives they can hire at the same wage. This is not surprising. Unskilled immigrants have seldom finished secondary school, but they have overcome all kinds of obstacles both to get here and to stay here. — Christopher Jencks, New York Review of Books, 27 Sept. 2007 "The pervasive theme is rebellion." Laurel Thatcher Ulrich begins her new book, "Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History," struggling to explain—understand—the appeal of an aside she made in the spring 1976 issue of an academic journal, a comment that has become a popular slogan printed on T-shirts and coffee mugs and bumper stickers, usually without her permission and often without attribution. — Kathryn Harrison, New York Times Book Review, 30 Sept. 2007 Kangaroo rats belong to a North American family of rodents well known for living in arid habitats, where they forage almost exclusively for seeds. They seldom have access to drinking water, but instead get most of their moisture from digesting the seeds. — Michael A. Mares, Natural History, November 2003 We seldom go to the movies. This type of turtle seldom grows over four inches in length.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb
That’s because the money that state governments tend to give seldom covers health-care and other expenses sufficiently, especially if there are special needs involved (which is so often the case with children who might have trauma in their history). — Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, "How about a Foster-Care Revolution?," 9 Sep. 2019 Americans seldom encounter the scientists ensuring their water stays clean or that nuclear waste is properly disposed of. — The Economist, "The federal bureaucracies were already creaking," 7 Sep. 2019 These bees seldom sting and are very important garden pollinators. — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, "September gardening: 22 things to do this month," 5 Sep. 2019 What is seldom mentioned is how static the celebrity population is in Long Island’s coveted summer towns. — New York Times, "Where to Show Off Your $5 Million Horse," 31 Aug. 2019 When the United States was containing the Soviet Union, the two nations operated their own separate international economic institutions, and those two spheres seldom traded with each other. — Benjamin Studebaker, The New Republic, "The Real Stakes of Trump’s Trade War With China," 27 Aug. 2019 Rape was lightly treated, seldom discussed, and victims suffered in silence. — Paige Hymson, latimes.com, "Play Next: The origins of the ‘Man in the Window’ podcast," 11 June 2019 For caregivers, the labor and isolation of caregiving is seldom discussed, leaving their struggles ignored and leading a vulnerable population to reach for extreme ends. — Ann Neumann, Harper's magazine, "Going to Extremes," 10 June 2019 The Seawolves have lost four straight games by a total of 10 points and have lost five of their last six games, a skid seldom endured by a program that has posted a winning record in 34 of its 40 seasons. — Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News, "UAA notebook: Men hope to end hoops skid; Mantha’s an early Hobey Baker candidate," 18 Jan. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Emergency management, which at one time was a relatively seldom occurrence, now happens almost on a monthly basis. ... — Christopher Keating, courant.com, "On a fishing trip with Gov. Cuomo, Gov. Lamont discusses transportation, tourism, energy -- and catches a few trout," 20 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'seldom.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for seldom
seldom
adverb
English Language Learners Definition of seldom
: not often : almost never
See the full definition for seldom in the English Language Learners Dictionary
seldom
adverb
sel·dom
| \ ˈsel-dəm
\
\
Kids Definition of seldom
: not often : rarely
He seldom talks about his past.
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