Antonyms for seldom
| Grammar : Adv |
| Spell : sel-duh m |
| Phonetic Transcription : ˈsɛl dəm |
Definition of seldom
Origin :- late Old English seldum, alteration of seldan "seldom, rarely," from Proto-Germanic *selda- "strange, rare" (cf. Old Norse sjaldan, Old Frisian selden, Dutch zelden, Old High German seltan, German selten), perhaps ultimately from the base of self (q.v.).
- Form shifted on analogy of adverbial dative plurals in -um (e.g. whilom "at one time," from while). The same development also created litlum from little, miclum from mickle. German seltsam "strange, odd," Dutch zeldzaam are related, but with the second element conformed to their versions of -some.
- Seldom-times is from mid-15c. (Old English had seldhwanne "seldwhen"). Seldom-seen is from mid-15c. (Old English had seldsiene, "seld-seen").
- Some compounds using the old form survived through Middle English, e.g. selcouth"rarely or little-known, unusual, strange, wonderful," from Old English selcuð, seld-cuð, from seldan + cuð (see couth). Old English seldan had comparative seldor, superlative seldost; in early Middle English, as seldan changed form and lost its connection with these, selde was formed as a positive. Shakespeare uses seld-shown.
- adv infrequently
- He seldom speaks; but when he does, you are ever in his visions.
- Extract from : « Philothea » by Lydia Maria Child
- He was a farmer's son, and seldom had any money in his possession.
- Extract from : « Brave and Bold » by Horatio Alger
- Uncle Brunton noticed the change; for to those who saw him seldom the change was sudden.
- Extract from : « Life in London » by Edwin Hodder
- Wiseli's eyes shone with satisfaction as they seldom did nowadays.
- Extract from : « Rico and Wiseli » by Johanna Spyri
- The term "gentleman" has seldom been used in this sense subsequently to the Revolution.
- Extract from : « A Book of Autographs » by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- It is most seldom that a person feels so mixed like that; and it is not to be recommended, either.
- Extract from : « Tom Sawyer Abroad » by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
- This resentment was seldom expressed, but its flame scorched her soul.
- Extract from : « Dust » by Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
- The trees are of great age and, indeed, are seldom known to die.
- Extract from : « In the Heart of Vosges » by Matilda Betham-Edwards
- They seldom exceeded six or eight boxes at a time, and were oftener two or three.
- Extract from : « Ned Myers » by James Fenimore Cooper
- I seldom change my mind, Sir, and on such a business, never.
- Extract from : « Fair Margaret » by H. Rider Haggard
Synonyms for seldom
- a few times
- every now and then
- from time to time
- hardly
- hardly ever
- in a few cases
- inhabitually
- irregularly
- little
- not often
- not very often
- occasionally
- on and off
- once in a blue moon
- once in a while
- rarely
- scarcely
- scarcely ever
- semioccasionally
- sometimes
- sporadically
- uncommonly
- unoften
- unusually
- whimsically
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019