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In the upper reaches of Chomolungma, known more familiarly as Mount Everest, the air is so rarefied—so much less dense than at lower elevations—that most climbers use supplemental oxygen in order to successfully complete their climb. This sense of rarefied, a word that comes from a combination of the Latin words rarus (“thin” or “rare”) and facere (“to make”), has been in use since the 1500s. A second, figurative sense of rarefied developed in the following century to describe things that can only be understood by a small or select group, i.e. one “thinned” from the majority of people by dint of their unique experience, expertise, or status. It’s this sense that we use when we say that to successfully summit Chomolungma puts one in rarefied company—just over 6,000 people have made it to the top at the time of this writing.
Examples of rarefied in a Sentence
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Only a rarefied few have won multiple times over the years.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Allowing the public access to usually rarefied spaces and events is part of Pronzato’s vision to build community through culinary experiences.
—Rhonda Richford, WWD, 20 Feb. 2025
Sean Baker is in rarefied air after winning four Academy Awards at the Oscars 2025.
—Tommy McArdle, People.com, 3 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Rarefied.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rarefied. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
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