seldom

1 of 2

adverb

sel·​dom ˈsel-dəm How to pronounce seldom (audio)
: in few instances : rarely, infrequently

seldom

2 of 2

adjective

Examples of seldom in a Sentence

Adverb Employers also say that foreign-born workers tend to work harder, be more reliable, and complain less than the natives they can hire at the same wage. This is not surprising. Unskilled immigrants have seldom finished secondary school, but they have overcome all kinds of obstacles both to get here and to stay here. Christopher Jencks, New York Review of Books, 27 Sept. 2007
"The pervasive theme is rebellion." Laurel Thatcher Ulrich begins her new book, "Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History," struggling to explain—understand—the appeal of an aside she made in the spring 1976 issue of an academic journal, a comment that has become a popular slogan printed on T-shirts and coffee mugs and bumper stickers, usually without her permission and often without attribution. Kathryn Harrison, New York Times Book Review, 30 Sept. 2007
Kangaroo rats belong to a North American family of rodents well known for living in arid habitats, where they forage almost exclusively for seeds. They seldom have access to drinking water, but instead get most of their moisture from digesting the seeds. Michael A. Mares, Natural History, November 2003
We seldom go to the movies. This type of turtle seldom grows over four inches in length.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
Bourdain and Ariane's mom kept their daughter out of the public eye during childhood Bourdain and Busia-Bourdain seldom posted images of their daughter on social media, shielding Ariane from the public eye. Francesca Gariano, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 The Dolphins have seldom used the tight end in the passing game since McDaniel arrived before the 2022 season but that could change with the arrival of Smith. Daniel Oyefusi, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Black voters, especially those who seldom vote or infrequently go to the polls, are tuning out Democratic candidates’ traditional, aspirational appeals of hope and opportunity, the survey showed. Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 Snow, ice and slush covered the highway as traffic squeezed down to a single lane, motorists seldom exceeding 35 miles per hour. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 The film’s landscapes are seldom matched by either inner beauty, or by moral complications. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024 Aside from not being conducted in a sterile environment, these injectables are seldom medical grade. Tayler Adigun, Essence, 16 Feb. 2024 It’s seldom written well, and acting one’s way out of that particular social and psychic trap is rarely convincing. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 Replicating the holdings of the major stock indexes, these funds trade relatively seldom because the components of the indexes rarely change. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Parental roles seldom factor in the effort required to nurture the connection and intimacy between partners. Mark Travers, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 What’s more is that Thomas had reported a $5,000 gift for Martin’s education from a non-billionaire friend—echoing Thomas’s tendency to report some gifts, but seldom ones from the likes of Crow. Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 4 May 2023 Hiring Van Bommel, in fact, was a seldom mistake by Schmadtke. Manuel Veth, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2021 Emergency management, which at one time was a relatively seldom occurrence, now happens almost on a monthly basis. ... Christopher Keating, courant.com, 20 Aug. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seldom.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb and Adjective

Middle English, from Old English seldan; akin to Old High German seltan seldom

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of seldom was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near seldom

Cite this Entry

“Seldom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seldom. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

seldom

adverb
sel·​dom
ˈsel-dəm
: not often : rarely

More from Merriam-Webster on seldom

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