rarefied

adjective

rar·​e·​fied ˈrer-ə-ˌfīd 

variants or less commonly rarified

1

: being less dense

2

: of, relating to, or interesting to a select group : esoteric

3

: very high

Did you know?

In the upper reaches of Chomolungma, known more familiarly as Mount Everest, the air is so rarefied—so much less dense than at lower elevations—that most climbers use supplemental oxygen in order to successfully complete their climb. This sense of rarefied, a word that comes from a combination of the Latin words rarus (“thin” or “rare”) and facere (“to make”), has been in use since the 1500s. A second, figurative sense of rarefied developed in the following century to describe things that can only be understood by a small or select group, i.e. one “thinned” from the majority of people by dint of their unique experience, expertise, or status. It’s this sense that we use when we say that to successfully summit Chomolungma puts one in rarefied company—just over 6,000 people have made it to the top at the time of this writing.

Examples of rarefied in a Sentence

It's difficult to breathe in the rarefied air near the mountain's peak.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Trojans looked, as of early June, to be headed in an elite direction on the recruiting trail, marching toward the sort of rarefied air that had recently eluded Riley. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024

Even for the most rarefied creatures, Le Meurice is a place for special occasions—and staying there for a few days with my fiancé this summer made my fitting feel like an engagement party, a bachelorette, and a honeymoon all rolled into one. —Jessie Heyman, Vogue, 15 Oct. 2024

Black tie, that essential marker of an increasingly rarefied ceremonial style, is inspiring. —Tom Stubbs, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2024

Even in our heyday, Blue Öyster Cult was always a rarefied choice among rock-record consumers. —Devon Ivie, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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