rarely

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hardly ever

Nearly never; very infrequently; only on a few or rare occasions. We used to go visit Grandma and Grandpa every year when I was a kid, but nowadays I hardly ever see them. I hardly ever get the chance to go out to the movies alone since having kids.

rarely ever

Nearly never; very infrequently; only on a few or rare occasions. We used to go visit Grandma and Grandpa every year when I was a kid, but nowadays, I rarely ever see them. I rarely ever get the chance to go out to the movies alone since having kids.

hardly ever

Also, rarely ever, scarcely ever. Very seldom, almost never, as in This kind of thief is hardly ever caught, or He rarely ever brings up his wartime experiences. The ever in these expressions, first recorded in 1694, serves as an intensifier.

See also: ever, hardly

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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References in periodicals archive ?

In the Philippines, 55 percent felt that the government rarely or never acted in their interests, about the same as in Mexico and Taiwan.

The people speak on PHL democracy

Of the 10 countries that had the highest percentages of people saying their voices were rarely or never heard, nine are democracies, Dalia said.

Kenya among democracies facing crisis of public faith - survey

Tracheal bronchus and lung cancer association is rarely stated in the literature.

Large-cell lung cancer originating from tracheal bronchus - A rare case

Didn't get much of a look-in and rarely works hard to go looking for the ball

ARGENTINA RATINGS

Blue whales are believed to be the largest animals in the world and are rarely seen, according to local media.

Rare blue whale spotted close to the coastline off Sydney

In a speech to the Families Need Fathers charity, the judge, who is president of the Family Division, said: "Separating parents rarely behave reasonably, although they always believe that they are doing so, and that the other party is behaving unreasonably.

Top judge says children are used in battles of separation

Few of the hard-ups and fed-ups, and the host of correspondents who write as if they were the only folk who paid their taxes, would dream of offering their services for the thankless task of being local councillors - our councillors whose services are rarely appreciated and usually undervalued.

A thankless job; Mailbag

"Rarely does such a prime piece of residential real estate come to market," said Gutoff, "and rarely does a potential investor have such an excellent opportunity to maximize rental income in a condo market that has temporarily cooled.

Prime Gold Coast offering should prompt bidding flurry

Elderly adults who regularly consume curry spice demonstrate better cognitive performance than those who rarely or never eat curry, report scientists in Singapore.

Curry spice supports cognition in older adults

People with generally positive outlooks show greater resistance to developing colds than do individuals who rarely revel in upbeat feelings, a new investigation finds.

Sniffle-busting personalities: positive mood guards against getting colds

3) Is he A: rarely reachable, or B: staying connected?

The cheat sheet: "think your boyfriend might be doing you wrong? Here's the smart girl's guide to exposing his cheating heart

For one, traumatic perforations rarely lead to CSOM.

Update on the medical and surgical treatment of chronic suppurative otitis media without cholesteatoma

He escaped slavery before the Civil War and rose to an office still rarely held by anyone black.

The Senator and the Socialite: The True Story of America's First Black Dynasty

Even so, doctors rarely warn their young patients about the dangers of tanning.

Sun screen

Belligerence and aggression will rarely succeed, whereas patient determination and sticking to principles can.

It's all about understanding: for this communicator, getting the message across clearly and succinctly is the name of the game

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