: in few instances : rarely, infrequently
: rare, infrequent
Examples of seldom in a Sentence
Adverb
Employers also say that foreign-born workers tend to work harder, be more reliable, and complain less than the natives they can hire at the same wage. This is not surprising. Unskilled immigrants have seldom finished secondary school, but they have overcome all kinds of obstacles both to get here and to stay here.
—
Christopher Jencks, New York Review of Books, 27 Sept. 2007
"The pervasive theme is rebellion." Laurel Thatcher Ulrich begins her new book, "Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History," struggling to explain—understand—the appeal of an aside she made in the spring 1976 issue of an academic journal, a comment that has become a popular slogan printed on T-shirts and coffee mugs and bumper stickers, usually without her permission and often without attribution.
—Kathryn Harrison, New York Times Book Review, 30 Sept. 2007
Kangaroo rats belong to a North American family of rodents well known for living in arid habitats, where they forage almost exclusively for seeds. They seldom have access to drinking water, but instead get most of their moisture from digesting the seeds.
—Michael A. Mares, Natural History, November 2003
We seldom go to the movies.
This type of turtle seldom grows over four inches in length.
Christopher Jencks, New York Review of Books, 27 Sept. 2007
"The pervasive theme is rebellion." Laurel Thatcher Ulrich begins her new book, "Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History," struggling to explain—understand—the appeal of an aside she made in the spring 1976 issue of an academic journal, a comment that has become a popular slogan printed on T-shirts and coffee mugs and bumper stickers, usually without her permission and often without attribution.
—Kathryn Harrison, New York Times Book Review, 30 Sept. 2007
Kangaroo rats belong to a North American family of rodents well known for living in arid habitats, where they forage almost exclusively for seeds. They seldom have access to drinking water, but instead get most of their moisture from digesting the seeds.
—Michael A. Mares, Natural History, November 2003
We seldom go to the movies.
This type of turtle seldom grows over four inches in length.
Recent Examples on the Web
Rose Evans
updated March 3, Idaho Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
The right-hander spent multiple seasons with all of those teams aside from the Dodgers but seldom stayed in one place for too long.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Trying to rototill around the shrub to loosen the soil is seldom productive and can damage both your rototiller and surrounding plants.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
The Cubs drastically reduced their spring TV schedule to 11 games for financial reasons, and the Sox have seldom shown many spring games for the same reason.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for seldom
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Adverb
To his knowledge, Harward said, road rage incidents in Nampa are seldom severe.
—Rose Evans
updated March 3, Idaho Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
The right-hander spent multiple seasons with all of those teams aside from the Dodgers but seldom stayed in one place for too long.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Trying to rototill around the shrub to loosen the soil is seldom productive and can damage both your rototiller and surrounding plants.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
The Cubs drastically reduced their spring TV schedule to 11 games for financial reasons, and the Sox have seldom shown many spring games for the same reason.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for seldom
Cite this Entry
“Seldom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seldom. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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