Rarity Meaning
/ˈɹɛəɹəti/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA measure of the scarcity of an object.
nounThinness; the property of having low density
Sentence Examples
Because of their rarity, pandas have become a world treasure.
That's a rarity, however.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ancient coin is a ____ because only three were ever minted.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The coin's ____ made it extremely valuable to collectors despite its poor physical condition.
Word Origin & History
From rare + -ity, borrowed from Middle French rarité, from Latin rāritās; compare French rareté. See also rare.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Only the increasing rarity bothered him, and he thought that perhaps it was this which had turned the heads of other travellers and excited those absurd tales of night-gaunts whereby they explained the loss of such climbers as fell from these perilous paths."
— 1927, H. P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath:
"Plant breeding is always a numbers game.[…]In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better. These rarities may be new mutations, or they can be existing ones that are neutral—or are even selected against—in a wild population. A good example is mutations that disrupt seed dispersal, leaving the seeds on the heads long after they are ripe."
— 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ancient coin is a ____ because only three were ever minted.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The coin's ____ made it extremely valuable to collectors despite its poor physical condition.