seldom

1 of 2

adverb

sel·​dom ˈsel-dəm How to pronounce seldom (audio)
: in few instances : rarely, infrequently

seldom

2 of 2

adjective

Examples of seldom in a Sentence

Adverb Employers also say that foreign-born workers tend to work harder, be more reliable, and complain less than the natives they can hire at the same wage. This is not surprising. Unskilled immigrants have seldom finished secondary school, but they have overcome all kinds of obstacles both to get here and to stay here. Christopher Jencks, New York Review of Books, 27 Sept. 2007
"The pervasive theme is rebellion." Laurel Thatcher Ulrich begins her new book, "Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History," struggling to explain—understand—the appeal of an aside she made in the spring 1976 issue of an academic journal, a comment that has become a popular slogan printed on T-shirts and coffee mugs and bumper stickers, usually without her permission and often without attribution. Kathryn Harrison, New York Times Book Review, 30 Sept. 2007
Kangaroo rats belong to a North American family of rodents well known for living in arid habitats, where they forage almost exclusively for seeds. They seldom have access to drinking water, but instead get most of their moisture from digesting the seeds. Michael A. Mares, Natural History, November 2003
We seldom go to the movies. This type of turtle seldom grows over four inches in length.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
Certain Evergreens Evergreens seldom need to be pruned other than to remove branches that are broken or a potential safety hazard. Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Mar. 2025 The fearmongering from the fake news media and globalist zealots who espouse free markets but have seldom experienced one miss the mark on why President Trump is fighting for American manufacturing workers. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
His seldom usage the past two seasons, though, could be an indicator of the team looking to make new additions to complement returning young backs in De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright. David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2025 This all sounds promising for Geagea, except that his strategy will have to contend with the age-old Lebanese dictum that national political appointments in Lebanon are seldom, if ever, purely a domestic matter. Bilal Y. Saab, Foreign Affairs, 26 Jan. 2016 See All Example Sentences for seldom

Word History

Etymology

Adverb and Adjective

Middle English, from Old English seldan; akin to Old High German seltan seldom

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of seldom was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Seldom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seldom. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

seldom

adverb
sel·​dom
ˈsel-dəm
: not often : rarely

More from Merriam-Webster on seldom

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