rarefied

1 of 2

adjective

rar·​e·​fied ˈrer-ə-ˌfīd 

variants or less commonly rarified

1

: being less dense

2

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

3

: very high

rarefied

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of rarefy

Did you know?

In the upper reaches of Chomolungma, known more familiarly as Mount Everest, the air is so rarefied—so much less dense than at lower elevations—that most climbers use supplemental oxygen in order to successfully complete their climb. This sense of rarefied, a word that comes from a combination of the Latin words rarus (“thin” or “rare”) and facere (“to make”), has been in use since the 1500s. A second, figurative sense of rarefied developed in the following century to describe things that can only be understood by a small or select group, i.e. one “thinned” from the majority of people by dint of their unique experience, expertise, or status. It’s this sense that we use when we say that to successfully summit Chomolungma puts one in rarefied company—just over 6,000 people have made it to the top at the time of this writing.

Examples of rarefied in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

On road, the KB998 Rimini’s rarity factor should only bolster Bimota’s already rarefied status. — Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2026

Deliberately choppy and abrupt in its transitions from sequences that almost play like standalone shorts, Masc may be too rarefied to venture beyond fests and niche settings. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026

In 2011, Brian Jensen opened Bottlecraft, a bottle shop in Little Italy that offered craft ales and lagers in a rarefied environment, going beyond standard liquor stores and beverage retailers. — Brandon Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026

Not everything works, notably the rarefied nature of the score, which at time sounds like Rufus Norris’ quirky verbatim musical London Road (2015). — Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!