rarely/seldom if ever

idiom

—used as a more forceful way to say "rarely" or "seldom"

I have seldom if ever been so embarrassed.

Note: Rarely if ever and seldom if ever can be written both with or without commas

Such radical opinions have rarely, if ever, been heard here before.

She rarely if ever sings anymore.

Examples of rarely/seldom if ever in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Throughout his athletic career, Simpson had dabbled in acting and soon became a commercial pitchman at a time African American athletes rarely if ever got endorsement or merchandise deals. —Dakin Andone, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024

Many investors are accustomed to filing their taxes on or before April 15, but that is rarely if ever possible with alternative investments because reporting lags at least a couple of months. —Thomas H. Ruggie, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Soda-company inspectors seldom if ever visit the farms from which NSL sources its sugar cane, the executive said. —Qadri Inzamam Saumya Khandelwal, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024

Winemakers in Chablis rarely if ever age their wine in oak, which leads to eye-opening realizations of what Chardonnay actually is. —Cathy Huyghe, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Underestimating the share of the vote cast by people who rarely if ever vote in a GOP primary is likely a reason for this error, given how well Haley did among this cohort. —Henry Olsen, National Review, 8 Feb. 2024

While there's never a guarantee going from coordinator to head coach will be a slam dunk, rarely if ever does somebody get the on-the-job training that Moore was afforded last season. —Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press, 27 Jan. 2024

Farrar noted that the average person may use these features rarely if ever. —Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2024

Wood-recycling insects like these are great to have around and rarely if ever pose a risk to healthy plants. —Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 25 May 2023