rarefied

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

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

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Critics have hailed the film’s visual poetry and its deep immersion in the rarefied traditions of kabuki. —Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 26 Nov. 2025

For those who are actually wealthy, there are even more rarefied options. —Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

Then there are more contemporary supercars that share the same rarefied realm based on exclusivity, exquisite artisanship, and extraordinary performance. —Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 17 Nov. 2025

That marks the end of what has been a dramatic arc for this iteration of the company in the rarefied world of ultra high-end jewelry. —Evan Clark, Footwear News, 17 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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