seldom

[sel-duhm]

adverb

1. on only a few occasions; rarely; infrequently; not often.

   We seldom see our old neighbors anymore.

adjective

1. rare; infrequent.

seldom

/ ˈsɛldəm /

adverb

1. not often; rarely

Other Word Forms

• seldomness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of seldom¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English seldum, variant of seldan; cognate with German selten, Gothic silda-

Word History and Origins

Origin of seldom¹

Old English seldon; related to Old Norse sjāldan, Old High German seltan

Example Sentences

Evidence suggests that vitamin A supplementation is seldom useful against measles in the United States, because deficiency is exceedingly rare.

From Salon

While usually entertaining, documentarians will seldom capture something truly insightful about the life of a pop star.

From Salon

City's team structure has seldom afforded Grealish the license to take on and glide past opponents as he did with such insouciance as the talismanic captain at boyhood club Aston Villa.

From BBC

The writer Morrow Mayo seldom minced words, especially when his subject was the gaudy, tawdry city where he made his home in the 1920s and 1930s.

From Los Angeles Times

There is seldom a thing as a quick knock - especially at The Open, where the ultimate test of links golf is a grind.

From BBC

Related Words

• a few times www.thesaurus.com
• hardly 
• occasionally 
• rarely 
• scarcely 
• sometimes 
• sporadically