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Purely vs Rarely - What's the difference?

purely | rarely |

As adverbs the difference between purely and rarely

is that purely is wholly; really, completely while rarely is not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often.

purely

English

Adverb

(en adverb)
  • * 1962 , , Flush Times :
  • I am fascinated by the entire scene, I purely am.
  • Solely; exclusively; merely, simply.
  • * 2005 , Owen Bowcott, The Guardian , 8 Apr 2005:
  • The IRA should "lead by example" and "unilaterally" abandon paramilitary violence and adopt a purely political strategy, a leading Sinn Féin MP urged yesterday.
  • * 2007 , ‘(Helen Brooks)’, His Christmas Bride :
  • *:"But this meal tonight is not a date, not in the traditional sense. It's purely platonic, I assure you."
  • Chastely, innocently; in a sinless manner, without fault.
  • * 1623 , (William Shakespeare), Troilus and Cressida , First Folio, IV.7:
  • faith and troth, / Strain'd purely from all hollow bias drawing: / Bids thee with most diuine integritie, / From heart of very heart, great Hector welcome.
  • * 1823 , (Samuel Taylor Coleridge), Table Talk :
  • By some means or other the water flows purely , and separated from the filth, in a deeper and narrower course on one side of the rock, and the refuse of the dirt and troubled water goes off on the other in a broader current [...].
    English manner adverbs English degree adverbs English focus adverbs

    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