infrequent

adjective in·fre·quent \ (ˌ)in-ˈfrē-kwənt \

Definition of infrequent

1 :seldom happening or occurring :rare

2 :placed or occurring at wide intervals in space or time

a slope dotted with infrequent pines

infrequent visits

—

infrequently

adverb

See infrequent defined for English-language learners

See infrequent defined for kids

Examples of infrequent in a Sentence

We made infrequent stops along the way.
a shut-in who made infrequent trips to the store

Recent Examples of infrequent from the Web

In short order, there was a boomlet of guys wearing them, even at my surf spots in Massachusetts, where the waves were cold and infrequent.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How would La Jolla's 'surf Nazis' fare these days?," 26 Aug. 2017
Amazon has been an infrequent issuer in the investment-grade bond market, with only $7.8 billion of debt outstanding as of June 30.

— molly smith, Fortune, "Amazon Needs to Borrow a Ton of Money to Actually Buy Whole Foods," 15 Aug. 2017
Han has included a stone tankard crafted around 1600 similar to those Luther would have encountered in the homes of friends and during his not-infrequent visits to taverns.

— mary carole mccauley, baltimoresun.com, "500 years after Protestant Reformation, Walters museum looks at human side of Martin Luther," 11 Aug. 2017
Trump and Sessions' conversations in recent weeks have been infrequent.

— jonathan lemire and jill colvin, The Christian Science Monitor, "After public rebuke from Trump, Sessions seeks to mend relationship," 25 July 2017
But, over the last few weeks, those briefings have been much more infrequent, and cameras have generally been barred.

— jeremy barr, The Hollywood Reporter, "New Bill Seeks to Make On-Camera White House Press Briefings the Law," 14 July 2017
Challenge slates for political office in town are infrequent and historically unsuccessful.

— steven goode, Courant Community, "Bloomfield Group Works To Petition To Replace Endorsed Democratic Town Council Candidates," 12 July 2017
The sadness, outrage and scandal that shook Penn State University six years ago still reverberates today, although on a lesser and more infrequent scale, like fading tremors that follow a seismic shock.

— bob ford, Philly.com, "A turning point at Penn State as aftershocks of Sandusky scandal fade | Bob Ford," 7 July 2017
Right Side streams White House news briefings using publicly available government footage, but on-camera question-and-answer sessions have become infrequent.

— the washington post, AL.com, "Auburn internet startup catapulted to fame with Trump campaign falls on hard times," 4 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infrequent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of infrequent

Latin infrequent-, infrequens, from in- + frequent-, frequens frequent

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First Known Use: 1622

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infrequent Synonyms

Synonyms

isolated, occasional, odd, rare, sporadic, few and far between

Antonyms

frequent

Related Words

scarce, scattered, uncommon, unique, unusual; choppy, discontinuous, erratic, fitful, intermittent, irregular, spasmodic, spotty, unsteady

Near Antonyms

daily, regular; common, ordinary, routine

Synonym Discussion of infrequent

infrequent, uncommon, scarce, rare, sporadic mean not common or abundant. infrequent implies occurrence at wide intervals in space or time.

- infrequent family visits

uncommon suggests a frequency below normal expectation.

- smallpox is now uncommon in many countries

scarce implies falling short of a standard or required abundance.

- jobs were scarce during the Depression

rare suggests extreme scarcity or infrequency and often implies consequent high value.

- rare first editions

sporadic implies occurrence in scattered instances or isolated outbursts.

- sporadic cases of influenza

INFREQUENT Defined for English Language Learners

infrequent

adjective

Definition of infrequent for English Language Learners

: not happening often : not frequent

INFREQUENT Defined for Kids

infrequent

adjective in·fre·quent \ in-ˈfrē-kwənt \

Definition of infrequent for Students

1 :seldom happening :rare

2 :not placed, made, or done at frequent intervals

The bus made infrequent stops.

—

infrequently

adverb

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