infrequent

adjective

in·​fre·​quent (ˌ)in-ˈfrē-kwənt 

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

Synonyms of infrequent

• occasional

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

This isn't just because frequent app users might be different types of people to infrequent app users. —Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 4 Nov. 2025

The report went on to say that November storms are relatively infrequent, with one named storm forming every other year, according to historical averages. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2025

Given it is so infrequent to see them together as a united red carpet pair, their choices to embrace their own fashion tastes felt all the much cooler. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2025

Both Barrett and Ingram spent some time carrying all-bench units, but those should be infrequent units so long as the Raptors are largely healthy. —Eric Koreen, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing infrequent

• not infrequent

Rhymes for infrequent

• unfrequent
• frequent
• sequent

Kids Definition

infrequent

adjective

in·​fre·​quent (ˈ)in-ˈfrē-kwənt 

1

: seldom happening or occurring

2

: not placed, made, or done at frequent intervals

made infrequent stops

infrequently adverb