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

If arrested, they are seldom allowed to return home to their families anymore.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

Noto has seldom bought stock in recent years.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Bombs without boots are seldom primed to have strategic impact.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

He wished he could have been among them, because he knew a secret nook where he always hid and where he was seldom discovered.

From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli

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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