Meaning & use
Rarified
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Belonging to or reserved for a small, select group; elevated and refined, often to the point of being remote from ordinary experience.
See it in a sentence
He moved in the rarified circles of international finance.
The air felt rarified in the exclusive gallery opening.
A note on using this word
This is a common variant spelling of 'rarefied'; both derive from 'rarefy,' meaning to make less dense, as with high-altitude air.
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Another way to use it
2. adjective
Made less dense, as of air at high altitude.
The rarified air of the mountain summit made breathing difficult.
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