Definitions

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.

Much of its ecology is still a mystery because spiders in this group are seldom encountered in the wild.

From Science Daily • Jun. 17, 2026

I’d wager that most people seldom sit by themselves and ponder what makes them tick, what causes their engines to rev, or why they like that one specific thing.

From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026

As she put it: “I have seldom seen a clearer expression of legislative intent in a congressional record.”

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

But they’re seldom as musically on the nose as Weezer’s “Island in the Sun” in “Every Year After.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

She got all A’s, never once got into trouble and seldom hung around.

From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord

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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