seldom
SEL-duhm
/ˈseldəm/
Not often; rarely.
Seldom feels more formal and slightly more emphatic than 'rarely'.
The story behind the word. Originally, 'seldan' meant 'strange' or 'wonderful' in Old English, implying that something was so rare it was a marvel. Over time, the 'wonderful' aspect faded, leaving only the meaning of low frequency.
Word relationships
- rarely: Rarely is the more common, neutral term for low frequency.
- infrequently: Infrequently is more clinical or technical than the literary seldom.
- often: Indicates high frequency rather than low.
Commonly confused with
- rarely: While synonyms, seldom is often used in formal writing or proverbs.
Word family
- seldom (adverb): Rarely.
Collocations
- seldom seen
- seldom heard
- seldom if ever
Example sentences
- "Barking dogs seldom bite." A well-known English proverb about threats.
- "He was a private man who seldom invited guests to his home." Describing a person's social habits.
Memory hook
Think of 'Sell-Dumb': You should 'seldom' sell something for a 'dumb' price. Seldom is rare.
When not to use
In very casual conversation, 'rarely' is usually preferred over 'seldom'.
Fun facts
- The word 'seldom' is one of the few adverbs in English that does not end in '-ly' but is still used frequently in modern prose.
Related words
Explore more words
once in a blue moon, scarce, solemn, sentimental, somber, sedentary
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.