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Synonym Chooser

How is the word rare different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of rare are choice, dainty, delicate, elegant, and exquisite. While all these words mean "having qualities that appeal to a cultivated taste," rare suggests an uncommon excellence.

rare beauty

In what contexts can choice take the place of rare?

In some situations, the words choice and rare are roughly equivalent. However, choice stresses preeminence in quality or kind.

choice fabric

When is it sensible to use dainty instead of rare?

The meanings of dainty and rare largely overlap; however, dainty sometimes carries an additional suggestion of smallness and of appeal to the eye or palate.

dainty sandwiches

When could delicate be used to replace rare?

Although the words delicate and rare have much in common, delicate implies exquisiteness, subtlety, and fragility.

delicate craftsmanship

When can elegant be used instead of rare?

The words elegant and rare can be used in similar contexts, but elegant applies to what is rich and luxurious but restrained by good taste.

a sumptuous but elegant dining room

When might exquisite be a better fit than rare?

The words exquisite and rare are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exquisite implies a perfection in workmanship or design that appeals only to very sensitive taste.

an exquisite gold bracelet

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rare Replacing Ryan Nembhard at point guard is Braeden Smith, the 2024 Patriot League Player of the Year who was the rare transfer willing to actually sit out a year, learning the Gonzaga way as Nembhard’s understudy. Cj Moore, New York Times, 2 June 2025 Sip rare rums at Dunn’s Rum Club in Jamaica Courtesy of Sandals Resorts Every trip deserves a good toast, and at Sandals Dunn’s River, the Rum Club knows precisely how to pour it. Sandals Resorts, AFAR Media, 2 June 2025 Zaslav sidesteps the rare direct questions on pay, like at a NYC Dealbook Summit in the fall of 2023. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 May 2025 Trade shows, in particular, are one of the rare arenas where the playing field is level. Sanjay Ghare, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for rare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rare
Adjective
  • Listen to this article The Rent Guidelines Board lowered the range of potential rent increases for some 2 million New Yorkers in an unusual redo vote Tuesday — a move that comes as the issue of freezing rents has taken center stage in the contentious mayoral race.
    Téa Kvetenadze, New York Daily News, 27 May 2025
  • In an unusual step earlier this month, five former directors of the National Weather Service signed an open letter warning that the Trump administration’s cuts to the weather service and its parent agency NOAA may endanger lives.
    Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • The Cannes Film Festival is also where these categories flourish in visibility, especially the high jewelry, which has used the high-profile event to promote their exquisite and expensive creations on the Red Carpet.
    Roxanne Robinson, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
  • And Diane de Poitiers, reputed to be the most beautiful woman in 16th-century France, drank gold to preserve her exquisite looks, the Botox of the Renaissance.
    Sean Kingsley, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • Others that have a small selling history and only a handful of items for sale at a time tend to be occasional sellers and wardrobe clearers.
    Benjamin Voyer, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
  • The only thing that could get between attendees and their snacks was the occasional free beer or run-in with a mascot.
    Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • Acqui-hires are not uncommon in a competitive tech hiring environment.
    Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
  • SNRs aren't uncommon, but this particular example showcases numerous anomalies, including its astonishingly round shape.
    Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • Quite simply, the earlier investors participate in this extraordinary country’s transformation, the greater the rewards will be.
    Djasur Djumaev, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
  • That’s either extreme confidence or extraordinary stupidity, or some combination.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • Old Midleton Distillery, with its elegant stone facade, was originally a woolen mill in the late 18th century.
    Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
  • Along the historic waterway system which dates from the 12th century, there are a series of patrician residences, pleasure villas, and elegant rural farmhouses that still stand, along with what remains of their parks and gardens, side-by-side with more recent houses.
    Elena Dallorso, Architectural Digest, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • There are enough quotable lines of dialogue in the movie’s first half to remind you why Succession was, pound for pound, one of the most profanely funny shows on TV during its run.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 31 May 2025
  • Because to us, the most funny things are right next to the most tragic things.
    Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
Adjective
  • The site is exceptional: The North Branch of the Chicago River winds through its full length, offering an opportunity to weave parkland through the development.
    Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2025
  • All of our leathers are carefully selected from the finest tanneries in the world for their exceptional quality and functional capability.
    Felicity Carter, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rare. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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