What does infrequent mean?
Infrequent is an adjective meaning that something happens, occurs, or appears only rarely or at widely separated intervals. It is commonly used for events, visits, changes, interruptions, opportunities, and updates, as in “infrequent rainfall” or “infrequent visitors.” The word is formal but broadly understandable and usually neutral in connotation, although it can occasionally suggest that something is unusual, difficult, or deliberately kept at a low frequency. Infrequent is not necessarily synonymous with nonexistent: an infrequent occurrence may still be significant, and it is distinct from a regular event that happens at predictable intervals. Its related noun is infrequency, meaning a lack of frequent occurrence, while the adverb infrequently expresses the same idea in a more formal way. The word is useful when precision matters because it describes recurrence without claiming that something is unique or unprecedented.
adjectiveHappening or occurring only rarely or at long intervals. An infrequent event, activity, or occurrence happens seldom.
- Occurring rarely or at long intervals.
- Not often encountered, used, or occurring; uncommon.
"The museum offers guided tours at infrequent but carefully scheduled intervals."
"Rain in the region is infrequent, but it can arrive in extremely heavy bursts."
"She made infrequent but memorable contributions to the discussion."
Infrequent literally means “not frequent”: it combines the Latin prefix meaning “not” with a root that originally conveyed crowding or constant repetition.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of infrequent
Infrequent was formed in English using the Latin-derived prefix in-, meaning “not,” together with frequent, from Latin frequens, meaning “crowded,” “constant,” or “frequent.” The Latin verb infrequentare meant “to be seldom” or “to happen infrequently.” The modern adjective developed from this earlier vocabulary and continues to express the opposite of frequent.
Related word forms
How infrequent is actually used
Infrequent is neutral in tone and generally describes something that happens or appears at long intervals. It does not imply that the thing never occurs, nor is it necessarily a synonym for “rare” in every context.