AdverbEmployers 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. 2007Kangaroo 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.
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Adverb
However, voles may be spotted occasionally, while moles, which spend most of their lives underground, are seldom seen.—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 May 2026 Most damningly, that catastrophe comes out as a fiery blaze that’s routinely overwhelming but seldom compelling, resulting in a tedious experience that might be better live-streamed on UFC.—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 May 2026 Katherine is seldom in the limelight, though.—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 May 2026 But Spagnuolo seldom, if ever, is hesitant to make exotic moves or dramatic changes.—Kansas City Star, 2 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for seldom
Word History
Etymology
Adverb and Adjective
Middle English, from Old English seldan; akin to Old High German seltan seldom
First Known Use
Adverb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above