: 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
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Nov. 2025
Over a six-decade stint in Hollywood, there was seldom a star Kirkland didn't brush shoulders with.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
David Hill, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Richard Lester, by abrupt intercuts and (often amusing) sound overlaps, keeps the action whipping along, setting a pace that seldom flags and never drags despite an elaborate and intricate plot.
—Arthur Knight, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for seldom
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Adverb
Allium sativum 'Chilean Silverskin' is a softneck type that is seldom seen in grocery stores.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Nov. 2025
Over a six-decade stint in Hollywood, there was seldom a star Kirkland didn't brush shoulders with.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
For most of modern American history, the only legal place to bet was Nevada, and that was seldom, if ever, the place cheaters chose to place their bets.
—David Hill, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Richard Lester, by abrupt intercuts and (often amusing) sound overlaps, keeps the action whipping along, setting a pace that seldom flags and never drags despite an elaborate and intricate plot.
—Arthur Knight, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for seldom
Cite this Entry
“Seldom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seldom. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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