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Occasionally vs Rarely - What's the difference?

occasionally | rarely |

As adverbs the difference between occasionally and rarely

is that occasionally is from time to time; now and then; once in a while; irregularly; at infrequent intervals while rarely is not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often.

occasionally

English

Adverb

(en adverb)
  • From time to time; now and then; once in a while; irregularly; at infrequent intervals.
  • *1592 , Gabriel Harvey, "Fovre Letters", Miscellaneous Tracts , page 56
  • *:Were nothing els di?cour?ively in?erted (as ?ome little el?e occa?ionally pre?ented it ?elfe), what paper more currently fit for the bare?t mechanicall u?es,...
  • *1619 , John Richardson, John Toland, The canon of the New Testament Vindicated , page 30
  • *:I think it is plain, that Origen'', whatever Character he may have occa?ionally given of this Book, did not judge it any part of the ''Canon ...
  • *1639 , Henry Ainsworth, Annotations Upon the Five Books of Moses, the Book of the Psalmes and the Song of Songs , page 177.
  • *:God ?etteth no houres for the morning or evening ?acrifice because they may occa?ionally be changed.
  • * 1855 , Horace Mann, "On the Statistical Position of Religious Bodies in England and Wales," Journal of the Statistical Society of London , vol. 18, no. 2, p. 152,
  • Some perhaps worship only on alternate Sundays; others still more occasionally .
  • * 1978 , Stephen R. Graubard, "Twenty Years of 'Daedalus'," Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , vol. 32, no. 3, p. 18,
  • The journal, more occasionally , has turned to what might be called "fashionable" themes.
  • * 2007 , Matt Gouras/AP, " Wildfires Rage in Montana," Time , 17 Aug,
  • Flames could still be seen from town flaring up occasionally on a hill dotted with emergency vehicles.

    rarely

    English

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often.
  • We rarely go to the theatre.
    Rarely do you ever find an eagle this far up the river.
  • Unusually well; excellently.
  • To a rare degree; very.
  • *, II.32:
  • others speake very honourably of his life and death, and in all other circumstances declare him to have beene a most excellent and rarely virtuous man.

    Usage notes

    It is grammatically a negative word. It therefore collocates with ever rather than never. * Compare We rarely ever go to the theatre.'' with ''We almost never go to the theatre.

    Synonyms

    * barely * hardly * infrequently * once in a while * seldom * sporadically * scarcely

    Antonyms

    * frequently, usually, often