infrequent

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

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

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

Some infrequent visitors to Minute Maid Park may not be aware of just how much local craft beer is available at the games.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "A drinker's guide to the beer and booze options at Minute Maid Park," 11 Apr. 2018
Dredging in recent years has been infrequent, stalled by controversy surrounding the endangered fish species that live in the waterway.

— lizzie johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, "Stinson Beach parking lot still crumbling after storm — and fix is uncertain," 10 Apr. 2018
This is an infrequent and late consequence of Graves’ disease.

— andrea k. mcdaniels, baltimoresun.com, "What is Graves' disease? A MedStar endocrinologist explains," 5 Apr. 2018
Exceptions have been very infrequent and due to special circumstances.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "IndyCar boss: Prepare for Indy 500 bumping, as tradition of 33-car field will be honored," 3 Apr. 2018
Given this is a relatively affordable, infrequent purchase for most households, why do so many companies see an opportunity in the online mattress space?

— jeff andrews, Curbed, "Why there are so many online mattress-in-a-box companies," 28 Mar. 2018
Accidents involving nuclear weapons, are infrequent but do occasionally happen.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "In 2011, a Russian Submarine Fire Nearly Caused a Nuclear Disaster," 27 Feb. 2018
Good Friday and the start of Passover overlap Friday in what is an infrequent convergence of Christian and Jewish holy holidays.

— carrie napoleon, Post-Tribune, "Christian, Jewish faiths mark significant historical events with Passover, Easter," 29 Mar. 2018
The actor tweeted: Affleck, who’s an infrequent tweeter, had been mute since photos surfaced of him standing shirtless on a beach in Hawaii.

— mark shanahan, BostonGlobe.com, "Ben Affleck gets the last laugh on Twitter," 29 Mar. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1622

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

infrequent Synonyms

Phrases

few and far between;

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

Learn More about infrequent

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for infrequent Spanish Central: Translation of infrequent Nglish: Translation of infrequent for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of infrequent for Arabic speakers

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infrequent

Definition of infrequent

infrequently

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Recent Examples of infrequent from the Web

Origin and Etymology of infrequent

infrequent Synonyms

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INFREQUENT Defined for English Language Learners

infrequent

Definition of infrequent for English Language Learners

INFREQUENT Defined for Kids

infrequent

Definition of infrequent for Students

infrequently

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