SG Heritage Dictionary

Word of the Day: Catachrestical

Rare [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. Uncommon; not frequent; as a rare event; a rare phenomenon.

2. Unusually excellent; valuable to a degree seldom found.

3. RARE work, all fill'd with terror and delight.

4. Above the rest I judge one beauty rare

5. Thinly scattered.

6. Thin; porous; not dense; as a rare and attenuate substance.

7. Water is nineteen times lighter and by consequence nineteen times rarer than gold.

8. Nearly raw; imperfectly roasted or boiled; as rare beef or mutton; eggs roasted rare

Rare [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1913

Early.

Rare [Superlative] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. Nearly raw; partially cooked; not thoroughly cooked; underdone; as, rare beef or mutton.

2. Not frequent; seldom met with or occurring; unusual; as, a rare event.

3. Of an uncommon nature; unusually excellent; valuable to a degree seldom found.

4. Thinly scattered; dispersed.

5. Characterized by wide separation of parts; of loose texture; not thick or dense; thin; as, a rare atmosphere at high elevations.

Rarebit [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

A dainty morsel; a Welsh rabbit. See Welsh rabbit, under Rabbit.

Raree-show [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

A show carried about in a box; a peep show.

Rareeshow [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

A show carried in a box.

Rarefaction [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

The act or process of expanding or distending bodies, by separating the parts and rendering the bodies more rare or porous, by which operation they appear under a larger bulk, or require more room, without an accession of new matter; opposed to condensation; as the rarefaction of air.

Rarefaction [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

The act or process of rarefying; the state of being rarefied; -- opposed to condensation; as, the rarefaction of air.

Rarefiable [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1828

Capable of being rarefied.

Rarefiable [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1913

Capable of being rarefied.

Rarefied [Imperfect tense and past participle] Webster's Dictionary 1913

of Rarefy

Rarefy [Verb intransitive] Webster's Dictionary 1828

To become thin and porous.

Rarefy [Verb transitive] Webster's Dictionary 1828

To make thin and porous or less dense; to expand or enlarge a body without adding to it any new portion of its own matter; opposed to condense.

Rarefy [Verb intransitive] Webster's Dictionary 1913

To become less dense; to become thin and porous.

Rarefy [Verb transitive] Webster's Dictionary 1913

To make rare, thin, porous, or less dense; to expand or enlarge without adding any new portion of matter to; -- opposed to condense.

Rarefying [Participle present tense] Webster's Dictionary 1828

Making thin or less dense.

Rarefying [Present participle and verbal noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

of Rarefy

Rarely [Adverb] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. Seldom; not often; as things rarely seen.

2. Finely; nicely. [little used.]

Rarely [Adverb] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. In a rare manner or degree; seldom; not often; as, things rarely seen.

2. Finely; excellently; with rare skill. See 3d Rare, 2.

Rareness [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. The state of being uncommon; uncommonness; infrequency.

2. And let the rareness the small gift commend.

3. Value arising from scarcity.

4. Thinness; tenuity; as the rareness of air or vapor.

5. Distance from each other; thinness.

Rareness [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

The state or quality of being rare.

Rareripe [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1828

Early ripe; ripe before others, or before the usual season.

Rareripe [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

An early fruit, particularly a kind of peach which ripens early.

Rareripe [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1913

Early ripe; ripe before others, or before the usual season.

Rareripe [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

An early ripening fruit, especially a kind of freestone peach.

Nonimitation Roget’s Thesaurus §20

N. no imitation, originality, creativeness, # invention, creation

Adj. unimitated, uncopied, unmatched, unparalleled, inimitable, unique, original, creative, inventive, untranslated, exceptional, rare, sui generis uncommon, unexampled

Unconformity Roget’s Thesaurus §83

N. {opp. 82} nonconformity, unconformity, disconformity, unconventionality, informality, abnormity, abnormality, anomaly, anomalousness, exception, peculiarity, infraction of law, breach, of law, violation of law, violation of custom, violation of usage, infringement of law, infringement of custom, infringement of usage, teratism, eccentricity, bizarrerie, oddity, je ne sais quoi, monster, monstrosity, rarity, freak, freak of nature, weirdo, mutant, rouser, snorter*, individuality, idiosyncrasy, originality, mannerism, aberration, irregularity, variety, singularity, exemption, salvo, nonconformist, nondescript, character, original, nonesuch, nonsuch, monster, prodigy, wonder, miracle, curiosity, flying fish, black sheep, black swan, lusus naturae, rara avis, queer fish, mongrel, random breed, half-caste, half-blood, half-breed, metis, crossbreed, hybrid, mule, hinny, mulatto, tertium quid, hermaphrodite, phoenix, chimera, hydra, sphinx, minotaur, griffin, griffon, centaur, saggittary, kraken, cockatrice, wyvern, roc, dragon, sea serpent, mermaid, merman, merfolk, unicorn, cyclops, "men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders", teratology, fish out of water, neither one thing nor another, neither fish nor fowl, neither fish flesh nor fowl nor good red herring, one in a million, one in a way, one in a thousand, outcast, outlaw, off the beaten track, oasis

V. be uncomformable, abnormalize, leave the beaten track, leave the beaten path, infringe a law, infringe a habit, infringe a usage, infringe a custom, break a law, break a habit, break a usage, break a custom, violate a law, violate a habit, violate a usage, violate a custom, drive a coach and six through, stretch a point, have no business there, baffle all description, beggar all description

Adj. uncomformable, exceptional, abnormal, abnormous, anomalous, anomalistic, out of order, out of place, out of keeping, out of tune, out of one's element, irregular, arbitrary, teratogenic, lawless, informal, aberrant, stray, wandering, wanton, peculiar, exclusive, unnatural, eccentric, egregious, out of the beaten track, off the beaten track, out of the common, out of the common run, beyond the pale of, out of the pale of, misplaced, funny, unusual, unaccustomed, uncustomary, unwonted, uncommon, rare, curious, odd, extraordinary, out of the ordinary, strange, monstrous, wonderful, unexpected, unaccountable, outre, out of the way, remarkable, noteworthy, queer, quaint, nondescript, none such, sui generis, unfashionable, fantastic, grotesque, bizarre, outlandish, exotic, tombe des nues, preternatural, denaturalized, heterogeneous, heteroclite, amorphous, mongrel, amphibious, epicene, half blood, hybrid, androgynous, androgynal, asymmetric, adelomorphous, bisexual, hermaphrodite, monoclinous, qualified, singular, unique, one-of-a-kind, newfangled, novel, non-classical, original, unconventional, unheard of, unfamiliar, undescribed, unprecedented, unparalleled, unexampled

Adv. unconformably, except, unless, save barring, beside, without, save and except, let alone, however, yet, but, once in a blue moon, once in a million years

Phr. never was seen the like, never was heard the like, never was known the like, i could hardly believe it, i saw it, but i didn't believe it, 1, number, in the abstract

Int. what on earth, what in the world, what the devil, holy cow, can you top that?, sacre bleu

Fewness Roget’s Thesaurus §103

N. fewness, paucity, small number, small quantity, rarity, infrequency, handful, maniple, minority, exiguity, reduction, weeding, elimination, sarculation|, decimation, eradication

V. be few, render few, reduce, diminish the number, weed, eliminate, cull, thin, decimate

Adj. few, scant, scanty, thin, rare, scattered, thinly scattered, spotty, few and far between, exiguous, infrequent, rari nantes, hardly any, scarcely any, to be counted on one's fingers, reduced, unrepeated

Adv. rarely, here and there

Infrequency Roget’s Thesaurus §137

N. infrequency, rareness, rarity, fewness &c. # 103, seldomness, uncommonness

V. be rare

Adj. unfrequent, infrequent, rare, rare as a blue diamond, few, scarce, almost unheard of, unprecedented, which has not occurred within the memory of the oldest inhabitant, not within one's previous experience, not since adam, scarce as hen's teeth, one in a million, few and far between

Adv. seldom, rarely, scarcely, hardly, not often, not much, infrequently, unfrequently, unoften, scarcely, scarcely ever, hardly ever, once in a blue moon, once, once in a blue moon, once in a million years, once for all, once in a way, pro hac vice

Phr. ein mal kein mal

Rarity Roget’s Thesaurus §322

N. rarity, tenuity, absence of solidity, # subtility, subtilty, subtlety, sponginess, compressibility, rarefaction, expansion, dilatation, inflation, subtilization, vaporization, evaporation, diffusion, gassification, ether

V. rarefy, expand, dilate, subtilize

Adj. rare, subtile, thin, fine, tenuous, compressible, flimsy, slight, light, cavernous, spongy, rarefied, unsubstantial, uncompact, incompressed, rarefiable

Improbability Roget’s Thesaurus §473

N. improbability, unlikelihood, unfavorable chance, bad chance, ghost of a chance, little chance, small chance, poor chance, scarcely any chance, no chance, bare possibility, long odds, incredibility

V. be improbable, have a small chance

Adj. improbable, unlikely, contrary to all reasonable expectation, wild, far out, out of sight, outtasight, heavy, rare, unheard of, inconceivable, unimaginable, inimaginable, incredible, more than doubtful, strange, bizarre (uncomformable) 83

Phr. the chances are against, aquila non capit muscas, pedir peras pal olmo

Importance Roget’s Thesaurus §642

N. importance, consequence, moment, prominence, consideration, mark, materialness, import, significance, concern, emphasis, interest, greatness, superiority, notability, weight, value, usefulness, gravity, seriousness, solemnity, no joke, no laughing matter, pressure, urgency, stress, matter of life and death, memorabilia, notabilia, great doings, red-letter day, great thing, great point, main chance, "the be all and the end all", cardinal point, substance, gist, sum and substance, gravamen, head and front, important part, principal part, prominent part, essential part, half the battle, sine qua non, breath of one's nostrils, cream, salt, core, kernel, heart, nucleus, keynote, keystone, corner stone, trump card, salient points, top sawyer, first fiddle, prima donna, chief, triton among the minnows, "it"

V. be important, be somebody, be something, import, signify, matter, boot, be an object, carry weight, make a figure, be in the ascendant, come to the front, lead the way, take the lead, play first fiddle, throw all else into the shade, lie at the root of, deserve notice, merit notice, be worthy of notice, be worthy of regard, be worthy of consideration, attach importance to, ascribe importance to, give importance to, value, care for, set store upon, set store by, mark, mark with a white stone, underline, write in italics, put in italics, print in italics, print in capitals, print in large letters, put in large type, put in letters, of gold, accentuate, emphasize, lay stress on, make a fuss about, make a fuss over, make a stir about, make a piece of work about, make much ado about, make much ado of, make much of

Adj. important, of importance, momentous, material, to the point, not to be overlooked, not to be despised, not to be sneezed at, egregious, weighty, of note, notable, prominent, salient, signal, memorable, remarkable, unforgettable, worthy of remark, worthy of notice, never to be forgotten, stirring, eventful, grave, serious, earnest, noble, grand, solemn, impressive, commanding, imposing, urgent, pressing, critical, instant, paramount, essential, vital, all-absorbing, radical, cardinal, chief, main, prime, primary, principal, leading, capital, foremost, overruling, of vital &c. importance, in the front rank, first-rate, superior, considerable, marked, rare, significant, telling, trenchant, emphatic, pregnant, tanti

Adv. materially, in the main, above all, κατ’ ἐξοχήν, par excellence, to crown all, to beat all

Phr. expende hannibalem, [Lat] [Juvenal]

Goodness Roget’s Thesaurus §648

N. goodness, excellence, merit, virtue, value, worth, price, super-excellence, supereminence, superiority, perfection, coup de maitre, masterpiece, chef d'ouvre, prime, flower, cream, elite, pick, a1, nonesuch, nonpareil, creme de la creme, flower of the flock, cock of the roost, salt of the earth, champion, prodigy, tidbit, gem, gem of the first water, bijou, precious stone, jewel, pearl, diamond, ruby, brilliant, treasure, good thing, rara avis, one in a thousand, beneficence, good man

V. be beneficial, produce good, do good, profit, benefit, confer a benefit, be the making of, do a world of good, make a man of, produce a good effect, do a good turn, confer an obligation, improve, do no harm, break no bones, be good, excel, transcend, bear away the bell, stand the proof, stand the test, pass muster, pass an examination, challenge comparison, vie, emulate, rival

Adj. harmless, hurtless, unobnoxious, innocuous, innocent, inoffensive, beneficial, valuable, of value, serviceable, advantageous, edifying, profitable, salutary, favorable, propitious, fair, good, good as gold, excellent, better, superior, above par, nice, fine, genuine, best, choice, select, picked, elect, recherche, rare, priceless, unparagoned, unparalleled, superlatively, good, bully*, crackajack*, giltedged, superfine, superexcellent, of the first water, first-rate, first-class, high- wrought, exquisite, very best, crack, prime, tiptop, capital, cardinal, standard, inimitable, admirable, estimable, praiseworthy, pleasing, couleur de rose, precious, of great price, costly, worth its weight in gold, worth a jew's eye, priceless, invaluable, inestimable, precious as the apple of the eye, tolerable, up to the mark, unexceptionable, unobjectionable, satisfactory, tidy, in good condition, in fair condition, fresh, sound

Adv. beneficially, well

Phr. "jewels five words long", "long may such goodness live!", "the luxury of doing good"