rarefied

adjective

rar·e·fied | \ ˈrer-ə-ˌfīd

How to pronounce rarefied (audio)

\

variants: or less commonly rarified

Definition of rarefied

1 : being less dense

2 : of, relating to, or interesting to a select group : esoteric

3 : very high

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Did You Know?

Rarefied was formed from the verb rarefy, which derives from a combination of the Latin rarus ("thin" or "rare") with facere ("to make") and has meant "to make thin" since the 14th century. In its original uses back in the 1500s, the adjective rarefied was on the lean side too; it meant "made less dense" (as in "the fog lifted and we could breathe more easily in the rarefied air"). By the 17th century, rarefy had gained the sense "to refine or purify," and over time rarefied followed suit.

Examples of rarefied in a Sentence

It's difficult to breathe in the rarefied air near the mountain's peak.

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Dictionary Entries near rarefied

rarefying osteitis

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Time Traveler for rarefied

The first known use of rarefied was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for rarefied

rarefied

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of rarefied

often disapproving : understood by only a small group of people : only for people who know about a particular thing

technical, of air : not having much oxygen because of being high up in the atmosphere

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of or relating to the heavens

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