# seldom

**Pronunciation:** /ˈsɛldəm/ · SEL-dum

**CEFR level:** B2

**Part of speech:** adverb

## Meaning

Not often; rarely.

## Examples

- The shop is seldom busy on weekday mornings.
- He seldom eats fast food.
- Such opportunities seldom arise.

## Synonyms

- rarely — Commonly used for things that happen infrequently.
- infrequently — Similar to rarely, but often used in more formal contexts.
- hardly ever — Emphasizes the very low frequency of an event.
- occasionally — Happening sometimes, but not often.

## Antonyms

- often — Happening many times or frequently.
- frequently — Happening or done often.
- always — At all times; on all occasions.

## Common patterns

- seldom + verb — Used to indicate that an action happens rarely. — He seldom complains about his workload.
- seldom + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb — Inversion used for emphasis, often at the beginning of a sentence. — Seldom do we receive such a generous offer.

## Collocations

- seldom seen — Such a beautiful sunset is seldom seen.
- seldom heard — His voice was seldom heard in public.
- seldom if ever — She seldom if ever misses a deadline.

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