fairly rarely

USAGE SUMMARY

"fairly rarely" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to indicate that something does not happen very often, but not as rarely as it might normally be expected. For example: "I get the chance to go on vacation fairly rarely, so I always make sure to make the most of it when I do."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

"Many companies have E.A.P.'s, and they are usually a fairly rarely used and modestly publicized benefit," she said.

The New York Times

In other words, while the estimated prevalence varies wildly according to ethnicity, sex, geographic region, or (most likely) detection methods, extra nipples probably occur fairly rarely.

BBC

But that happened fairly rarely because everyone knew that if someone was ever seriously injured, the police would have to investigate everyone.

Vice

The noun "affect" is used fairly rarely.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

They also concluded: "Suicides are fairly rare events, and single disasters rarely have covered geographic areas with populations large enough to find statistically significant differences in such relatively rare events".

The New Yorker

Respondents who reported having driven in the past 30 days were asked how often they had engaged in several specific behaviors; response options were regularly, fairly often, rarely, just once, and never.

Injury Epidemiology

However the statistics suggest that, over the last 10 years, the number of departures in the Football League has remained fairly constant, rarely departing much from an average figure of around 50.

BBC

The majority of motion segments are fairly short; rarely did the fly spend more than 10 s in any behavioral segment (although there are a few instances when this did occur, and they mainly occurred in the Central Zone).

Plosone

We indulge it fairly regularly but rarely speak of it to strangers.

Independent

Pressure from their voters could have swayed them; but public support for climate action, though fairly broad, is rarely deep.

The Economist

Pillay said her interlocutors painted a "very disturbing picture" of domestic violence, suggesting rape was fairly commonplace but rarely investigated.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "fairly rarely" when you want to convey that something happens infrequently, but not to the point of being almost nonexistent. It suggests a slightly higher frequency than 'rarely' alone.

Common error

Avoid using "fairly rarely" when describing events that practically never occur. Reserve it for situations where the event happens occasionally, even if infrequently.

Linguistic Context

Fairly rarely functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying a verb or clause to indicate the frequency of an action or event. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness, indicating it's a valid way to express infrequency, albeit not extreme rareness.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "fairly rarely" serves as an adverbial phrase indicating that an event happens infrequently but not to an extreme degree. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability. Its usage spans various contexts, primarily in news and media, science, and general discourse. While not a very common phrase, it provides a nuanced way to express infrequency, suggesting a slightly higher probability of occurrence than simply saying "rarely". When writing, consider whether the context calls for emphasizing the infrequency of an event without implying near non-existence.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

pretty rarely

Synonymous; replaces "fairly" with "pretty" to indicate a similar degree of infrequency.

rather rarely

Synonymous; substitutes "fairly" with "rather", maintaining a similar level of infrequency.

quite rarely

Uses "quite" instead of "fairly" to denote a comparable level of rareness.

somewhat rarely

Replaces "fairly" with "somewhat", indicating a slightly less pronounced degree of infrequency.

not very often

Uses a more common phrase to express infrequency, differing in structure but similar in meaning.

infrequently

Single word substitution of similar meaning; more concise.

on rare occasions

Phrase emphasizing the occasional nature of the event, differing in structure.

seldom

A single word that conveys the same meaning of 'not often'.

scarcely ever

Emphasizes the limited occurrence of something using different wording.

almost never

Indicates that something happens close to never, implying a slightly stronger degree of infrequency.

FAQs

What does "fairly rarely" mean?

The phrase "fairly rarely" means that something happens infrequently, but not to an extreme degree. It's more common than "very rarely" but less common than "sometimes".

How can I use "fairly rarely" in a sentence?

You can use "fairly rarely" to describe how often an event occurs. For example, "I get the chance to travel "fairly rarely", so I cherish each trip."

What can I say instead of "fairly rarely"?

You can use alternatives like "pretty rarely", "infrequently", or "not very often" depending on the context.

Is it better to say "fairly rarely" or "very rarely"?

The choice between "fairly rarely" and "very rarely" depends on the degree of infrequency you want to convey. "Fairly rarely" suggests a slightly higher frequency than "very rarely". Consider the specific context to determine the most accurate phrase.