Rarely vs Sometime - What's the difference?
rarely | sometime |
Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often.
Unusually well; excellently.
To a rare degree; very.
*, II.32:
(US) At an unstated or indefinite time in the future
(obsolete) sometimes
(obsolete) At a past time indefinitely referred to; once; formerly.
* Shakespeare
Former, erstwhile; at some previous time.
Occasional.
As adverbs the difference between rarely and sometime
is that rarely is not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often while sometime is at an unstated or indefinite time in the future.As an adjective sometime is
former, erstwhile; at some previous time.rarely
English
Adverb
(en adverb)- We rarely go to the theatre.
- Rarely do you ever find an eagle this far up the river.
- 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 * scarcelyAntonyms
* frequently, usually, oftenReferences
* * English frequency adverbssometime
English
Alternative forms
* some time (adverbial sense)Adverb
(-)- I'll see you at the pub sometime this evening
- This will certainly happen sometime in the future
- Did they not sometime cry "All hail" to me?
Synonyms
* at some point * at some time, at some time or other * somewhenDerived terms
* a sometime thing * sometime or other * sometimeyAdjective
(-)- my sometime friend and mentor
- Our sometime sister, now our queen. — Shakespeare.
- Ion, our sometime darling, whom we prized. — Talfourd.
