rarefied
adjective, verb
rarefied is spelled R-A-R-E-F-I-E-D: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 55,433rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, rarefied means “Distant from the lives and everyday concerns of ordinary people; esoteric, exclusive, select” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in rarefied?
| Letters | 8: R-A-R-E-F-I-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 55,433rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is rarefied?
Rarefied appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 55,433rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce rarefied?
Rarefied has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of rarefied
- more rarefied comparative
- most rarefied superlative
- rarified
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rarefied mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Distant from the lives and everyday concerns of ordinary people; esoteric, exclusive, select.
Philosophical debates can be quite rarefied.
- 2
Elevated in style or nature, sublime; of high intellectual or moral value.
- 3
Less dense than usual; thin.
The air at high altitudes at the top of mountains is rarefied.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of rarefy
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rarefied in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | abgehoben, abstrakt, realitätsfern, entrückt, herausgehoben , erhaben |
| French | raréfié |
| Portuguese | rarefeito |
| Spanish | rarificado, enrarecido, rarefecho, rareado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.