Meaning & use
rare occurrence
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountable
something that happens only a few times, so it is unusual and often surprising.
Grammar: Countable, so use a/an or a plural: a rare occurrence, rare occurrences.
Patterns
- a rare occurrence
- rare occurrences
- it is a rare occurrence for someone to do something
Snow in this city is a rare occurrence, so schools close when it comes.
For him to arrive late is a rare occurrence; he is usually the first one there.
Power cuts were once a rare occurrence, but now they happen every week.
phrasecountable
used to say that an event is not common in a particular place, group, or situation.
Grammar: Often followed by 'in' or 'among' to name the place or group.
Patterns
- a rare occurrence in something
- a rare occurrence among someone
Such heavy rain is a rare occurrence in this desert region.
Honest mistakes are a rare occurrence among experienced editors.
A defeat at home is a rare occurrence for this team.
Word forms
| plural | rare occurrences |
|---|
Common combinations
- a rare occurrence
- Seeing a shooting star is a rare occurrence.
- a relatively rare occurrence
- Flooding here is a relatively rare occurrence.
- a rare occurrence in
- Tornadoes are a rare occurrence in this part of the country.
- far from a rare occurrence
- Arguments like that are far from a rare occurrence in this office.
- describe something as a rare occurrence
- Scientists describe such storms as a rare occurrence.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rarity
- A rarity is a rare thing or event itself, often used as a noun on its own: 'Such honesty is a rarity.'
- uncommon event
- Similar in meaning but more neutral and less emphatic; 'rare occurrence' stresses that it hardly ever happens.
- exception
- An exception is something that does not follow the usual rule; it may still happen fairly often, unlike a rare occurrence.
Opposites
Word family
- rare adjective
- not happening or seen often.
- rarely adverb
- not often; almost never.
- rarity noun
- a thing or event that is rare.
- occur verb
- to happen, especially without being planned.
- occurrence noun
- something that happens; an event.
Commonly confused: rare occurrence or rare occasion? rare occurrence or scarce?
rare occurrence vs rare occasion
'Occasion' means a particular time or a special event, so 'a rare occasion' often means a special moment, while 'a rare occurrence' stresses that something seldom happens.
rare occurrence vs scarce
'Scarce' describes things that are hard to find or not enough in supply; it is not used for events that seldom happen.
Practice
Snow in April is a ______ occurrence in this region.
Choose one answer.
'Rare' is the adjective that describes the noun 'occurrence'. 'Rarely' is an adverb and cannot modify a noun, 'rarity' would need a different structure such as 'is a rarity', and 'scarce' describes a lack of supply, not how often something happens.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rare occurrence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.