Looking up...
infrequent
/ɪnˈfriːkwənt/
not happening often
She makes infrequent visits to her hometown.
She rarely visits her hometown.
neutral
Not occurring often; rare in occurrence
The bus service is infrequent in rural areas.
Buses do not run often in rural areas.
His infrequent attendance at meetings raised concerns.
His rare attendance at meetings caused worry.
Used to describe events, actions, or occurrences that happen with long intervals between them. Often implies a negative connotation of being insufficient or inadequate.
Collocations
infrequent visitorsomeone who visits rarelyinfrequent updatesupdates that happen rarely
Pro Tip
Avoid confusion with 'infrequent' vs. 'unfrequent'
'Infrequent' is the correct form. 'Unfrequent' is archaic and rarely used today.
Gold Rule
Use 'infrequent' for neutral or formal contexts
While 'rare' is more common in everyday speech, 'infrequent' is suitable for formal writing or when emphasizing the lack of occurrence.
Word Origin
From Latin *infrequens* (uncommon), combining *in-* (not) + *frequens* (frequent, crowded). First recorded in English in the late 16th century.
Usage Notes
Infrequent is often used to describe events or actions that are not happening as often as expected or desired. It can sound more formal than 'rare' or 'uncommon' in some contexts.
Word Breakdown
in-
not
prefixfrequent
happening often
rootEnglish Dictionary