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Seldom vs Never - What's the difference?

seldom | never |

Never is a coordinate term of seldom.



As adverbs the difference between seldom and never

is that seldom is infrequently, rarely while never is at no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance.

As an adjective seldom

is rare; infrequent.

seldom

English

Adverb

(en adverb)
  • Infrequently, rarely.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8 , passage=I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields, in no very mild state of fear of that gentleman's wife, whose vigilance was seldom relaxed.}}
  • *{{quote-news, year=2013, date=April 9, author=Andrei Lankov, title=Stay Cool. Call North Korea’s Bluff., work=New York Times citation
  • , passage=People who talk about an imminent possibility of war seldom pose this question: What would North Korea’s leadership get from unleashing a war that they are likely to lose in weeks, if not days?}}
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838, page=71, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= End of the peer show , passage=Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.}}

    Usage notes

    It is grammatically a negative word. It therefore collocates with ever rather than never. * Compare He seldom ever plays tennis.'' with ''He almost never plays tennis.

    Synonyms

    * barely * hardly * rarely * scarcely * infrequently

    Antonyms

    * often * frequently

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete) rare; infrequent
  • A suppressed and seldom anger. — Jeremy Taylor.

    never

    English

    (wikipedia never)

    Adverb

    (-)
  • At no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance.
  • * 1634 , (w), (John Fletcher), , Act 2, Scene 4,
  • Why should I love this Gentleman? Tis odds / He never will affect me;
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.}}
  • * 1908 , (Lucy Maud Montgomery), , Chapter XXI: A New Departure in Flavorings,
  • "I never thought you were so fond of Mr. Phillips that you'd require two handkerchiefs to dry your tears just because he was going away," said Marilla.
  • * 1919 , B. G. Jefferis, J. L. Nichols, ,
  • Never speak of the symptoms of your patient in his presence, unless questioned by the doctor, whose orders you are always to obey implicitly .
  • Not at any other time; not on any other occasion; not previously.
  • * 1601 Novenber 30, (Elizabeth I of England), ,
  • There is no jewel, be it of never so rich a price, which I set before this jewel: I mean your love.
  • * 1813 , (Jane Austen), , Chapter 4,
  • "He is just what a young man ought to be," said she, "sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners!--so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!"
  • * 1908 , (Lucy Maud Montgomery), , Chapter XIII: The Delights of Anticipation,
  • I never saw such an infatuated man.
  • (colloquial) Negative particle (used to negate verbs in the simple past tense; also used absolutely ).
  • Antonyms

    * always

    Derived terms

    * better late than never * I have never * never again * never-ending * never ever * never in a month of Sundays * never mind * nevermore * neverness * never say never * nevertheless * now or never * on the never never * you never know

    Statistics

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