infrequent

/ɪnˈfriːkwənt/

Say it: in-FREE-kwunt

adjective Not occurring often; happening at long intervals or in few instances.
His visits to his hometown became infrequent after he moved abroad.

📖 Seen in the wild

Thunderstorms are an infrequent occurrence in this desert region.
collected by @vocablast

✏️ infrequent in a sentence

Power outages are infrequent in this part of the city, but they can be disruptive.
Though his appearances were infrequent, the guest lecturer always left a lasting impression.
We have infrequent family get-togethers, maybe once or twice a year.
The report noted that such system failures were infrequent but had a high impact.
In the desert, rainfall is an infrequent but celebrated event.
He was an infrequent contributor to the online forum, posting only when he had something crucial to say.

🔁 Synonyms & antonyms

rare uncommon scarce sporadic occasional intermittent unusual

rare · suggests a much lower frequency than infrequent, often implying value or specialness.

uncommon · emphasizes that something is not typical or ordinarily encountered.

scarce · implies that something is not only infrequent but also hard to find or obtain.

sporadic · highlights irregularity and unpredictability in occurrence, happening in scattered instances.

Opposites: frequent, common, regular, constant, habitual

🌱 Where it comes from

Infrequent comes from the Latin word 'infrequens', which combines the prefix 'in-' meaning 'not' with 'frequens', meaning 'crowded' or 'often.' The original sense of 'not crowded' has faded, leaving us with the modern meaning of 'not happening often.'

🧩 How it's used

Common patterns:

infrequent visitsinfrequent occurrencesinfrequent userelatively infrequentan infrequent event

Infrequent is a more formal and precise alternative to 'not often'. While similar to 'rare', 'infrequent' simply describes a low rate of occurrence over time, whereas 'rare' often implies that something is not only uncommon but also special or hard to find. For example, a bus that comes once an hour is infrequent, but a total solar eclipse is rare.

Word family: infrequently, infrequency

💬 Quick answers

What does infrequent mean?

Infrequent means something that does not happen often or occurs at long intervals. It describes a low frequency of an event or action.

What's the difference between infrequent and rare?

Infrequent describes things that happen at a low rate over time, like an infrequent bus schedule. Rare suggests a much lower level of occurrence and often implies something is special or valuable, like a rare gem.

Is infrequent a formal word?

Infrequent is a neutral to formal word. While perfectly fine in conversation, it is more commonly found in writing and formal speech than simply saying 'not often'.

What is the adverb for infrequent?

The adverb form is 'infrequently,' which means 'not often.' For example, 'He infrequently checks his email on weekends.'

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