seldom

[sel-duhm] / ˈsɛl dəm /

ADVERB

infrequently

Synonyms

STRONGEST

a few times hardly occasionally rarely scarcely sometimes sporadically

WEAK

every now and then from time to time hardly ever in a few cases inhabitually irregularly little not often not very often on and off once in a blue moon once in a while scarcely ever semioccasionally uncommonly unoften unusually whimsically

Antonyms

STRONGEST

frequently regularly

WEAK

often usually

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Never mind that children seldom have meaningful choice but to comply with caregivers’ demands and may be in therapy not to pursue their goals but due to external pressures.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

A falling stock market has seldom bothered him.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Duvall seldom played leading men, but Mac Sledge, in “Tender Mercies,” was a notable breakthrough.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

For these survivors—the grandmothers and great-grandmothers who populate many romantic fantasies—“Italy” seldom meant idyllic country vistas and cardiologists’ dream culinary joys.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

At this season Gebu was seldom in the shop.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Vocabulary lists containing seldom

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 7–11

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The Crossover

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List 7

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