rarity

rar·i·ty | \ ˈrer-ə-tē

How to pronounce rarity (audio)

\

plural rarities

Definition of rarity

1 : the quality, state, or fact of being rare

2 : one that is rare

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about rarity

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of rarity in a Sentence

In most sports, athletes over the age of 50 are rarities. Snow is a rarity in this part of the world. He is selling most of his collection, keeping only the real rarities. The rarity of the disease makes it difficult to diagnose.

Recent Examples on the Web Their rate of death from liver disorders, long a rarity among females, climbed too. — Melissa Healy, chicagotribune.com, "Suicides and overdoses among factors fueling drop in US life expectancy," 3 Dec. 2019 Their rate of death from liver disorders, long a rarity among females, climbed too. — Los Angeles Times, oregonlive, "Americans are dying earlier, new research confirms: drug overdoses, suicide, disease to blame," 26 Nov. 2019 The final stairwell leads to the roof deck, which appears to be a rarity in the immediate neighborhood. — Boston.com Real Estate, "Home of the Week: For less than $500,000, a condo with a roof deck in Roslindale," 17 Oct. 2019 Moyano was black, a rarity among her neighbors, most of whom were indigenous. — Rachel Nolan, Harper's magazine, "A Jagged Scrap of History," 24 June 2019 The 9-1 Patriots are in the midst of a five-game, six-week stretch that sees them face legitimate competition, actual pushback, and, hallelujah, upper-echelon quarterbacks, all rarities. — BostonGlobe.com, "Facing Prescott, Watson, and Mahomes in consecutive weeks is good preparation for the Patriots to fine-tune for the postseason and find out where they really stand.," 22 Nov. 2019 But the value of collectible coins, sometimes called numismatic coins, depends on rarity and beauty. — Hanna Kozlowska, Quartz, "A precious-metals scheme used fear and Facebook to trick older conservatives out of their savings," 18 Nov. 2019 Indeed, the three of them constitute what will be, for current moviegoers, a bewildering rarity: the non-sappy happy family. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, "Boys Will Be Boys in “Ford v Ferrari”," 8 Nov. 2019 Much of the answer depends on its quality and rarity — not just its age. — oregonlive, "Japanese porcelain, trench art, cranberry glass: How much are these antiques worth?," 2 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rarity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about rarity

Dictionary Entries near rarity

Statistics for rarity

Last Updated

9 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Rarity.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rarity. Accessed 14 December 2019.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for rarity

rarity

noun

English Language Learners Definition of rarity

: a person or thing that is not common or usual : a person or thing that is not seen or does not happen often

: something that is valuable because there are few of its kind

: the quality of being rare

See the full definition for rarity in the English Language Learners Dictionary

rarity

rar·i·ty | \ ˈrer-ə-tē

\

plural rarities

Kids Definition of rarity

1 : the quality, state, or fact of being rare

2 : something that is uncommon

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

impugn

to assail by words or arguments

Test Your Vocabulary

Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz

Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.