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Synonym Chooser

How is the word rare different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of rare are choice, dainty, delicate, elegant, and exquisite. While all these words mean "having qualities that appeal to a cultivated taste," rare suggests an uncommon excellence.

rare beauty

In what contexts can choice take the place of rare?

In some situations, the words choice and rare are roughly equivalent. However, choice stresses preeminence in quality or kind.

choice fabric

When is it sensible to use dainty instead of rare?

The meanings of dainty and rare largely overlap; however, dainty sometimes carries an additional suggestion of smallness and of appeal to the eye or palate.

dainty sandwiches

When could delicate be used to replace rare?

Although the words delicate and rare have much in common, delicate implies exquisiteness, subtlety, and fragility.

delicate craftsmanship

When can elegant be used instead of rare?

The words elegant and rare can be used in similar contexts, but elegant applies to what is rich and luxurious but restrained by good taste.

a sumptuous but elegant dining room

When might exquisite be a better fit than rare?

The words exquisite and rare are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exquisite implies a perfection in workmanship or design that appeals only to very sensitive taste.

an exquisite gold bracelet

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rare Golden State is the rare team that owns its arena—most just operate them. Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025 Shohei Ohtani’s decision to take a rare batting practice session on the field on Wednesday made headlines in Tokyo. Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025 The Boxster was the rare long-running model that arrived almost fully formed. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025 Kincaid has the rare ability to shift between aloof, emotionally-distant narrators and a warm autobiographical register. Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rare
Adjective
  • This is not unusual, because Mahomes teammates have done that in the past (notably Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and many others).
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Sometimes, Gatlin would also approve invoices from Georgia companies, which would have been unusual given that Jackson Health System and the Foundation usually work with South Florida vendors.
    Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Plockton This exquisite one-bedroom cottage is set within the grounds of Preston Hall estate, just 12 miles from Edinburgh’s city center.
    Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Cooper as an actor has always been adept at comedy, and here in the standard best friend supporting role, exhibits again some exquisite timing, as does the wonderful Day, who memorably nails her all too brief few scenes.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Besides the occasional random spider that scuttles indoors, some spiders can live in out-of-the-way spots in your home, such as along ceilings or in basements and behind clutter.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025
  • And yes, there were occasional hijinks spurred by youthful boredom and restlessness.
    Scott Huver, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Such alerts are relatively uncommon for Los Angeles.
    Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The play, by Jordan Ramirez Puckett, follows a mother-son cross-country road trip peppered with the teen’s hip-hop music as a brown son and his white mother seek common ground in their uncommon pasts.
    Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Every chapter has its own life, and this one has been extraordinary.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The extraordinary vote in November was to decide whether Kan, the Israeli public broadcaster and member of the EBU, could participate in the Eurovision 2026.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The home’s signatures, soaring inside spaces and elegant natural materials, are designed to match the spectacular vistas seen through towering floor-to-ceiling windows.
    Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025
  • With its refined silhouette, subtle logo detailing, and classic colors—from black to a fall-ready burgundy—the elegant accessory can be dressed down for coffee runs and classed up for date nights.
    Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • His writing is lavishly detailed and sharply intelligent, nuanced and lyrical but also funny and sometimes surreal.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The dudes-rock montage that followed the execution sketch had some genuinely funny bits.
    T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Some of them waged it, encamping with the armies, cooking, cleaning, and nursing, and, in a few exceptional cases, grabbing muskets themselves.
    Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Misa, one of the rare players to be given exceptional player status from Hockey Canada, was taken under Haight’s wing.
    Joe Smith, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rare. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on rare

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