moderately rare

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "moderately rare" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is not common but also not extremely uncommon, indicating a middle ground in rarity. Example: "The species is considered moderately rare, found in only a few isolated regions around the world."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

8 human-written examples

Books only moderately rare are locked up in glass-fronted cases, and attendants are on hand to keep an eye on paintings and pieces of furniture priced at a hundred dollars or more.

The New Yorker

In the core zone, the three target species were moderately rare tree species.

Forest Ecosystems

However, rare and moderately rare species may not be well represented in random sampling, because such species may be absent in many sampling units, causing errors in the estimates of population sizes (Cochran 1977; Gaston 1994).

Forest Ecosystems

Monte Carlo simulation of moderately rare events of a random process indicate the random Fourier component phase PDFs are non-uniform, non-identically distributed, and dependent on the rarity of the target event.

Ocean Engineering

Indeed, it takes just a slight evolutionary unfitness a 1% drag on reproduction for a moderately rare gene to become extremely rare over the course of a few thousand years of human evolution.

Forbes

The dedicated Pong consoles and the numerous clones have since become varying levels of rare; Atari's Pong consoles are common, while APF Electronics TV Funn consoles are moderately rare.

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

51 human-written examples

The study helped to geochemically delineate the CIOB basalts as N-MORB with perceptible imprints of E-MORB and OIB characteristics in the form of moderately enriched rare earth and incompatible elements.

Geochemical Transactions

Most of the selected OTUs are moderately abundant or rare, so we expect d 0.5) and d(0) to have better power.

Bioinformatics

At least Grace is moderately sociable on the rare occasions when she awakens from her whiskey daze long enough to screen her favorite movie, "Top Gun".

The New York Times

They are only partially normalized, with transcript equalization being restricted to rare and moderately abundant transcripts.

BMC Genomics

Our results show that abundant transcripts escape normalisation which is only efficient for rare and moderately abundant transcripts.

BMC Genomics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing the frequency of events or items, use "moderately rare" to indicate they occur less often than common occurrences but are not exceptionally unusual. It helps provide a balanced view, preventing overemphasis on scarcity.

Common error

Avoid using "moderately rare" when the subject is actually quite common or extremely rare. Ensure your assessment of rarity aligns with actual observation to maintain credibility and accuracy.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "moderately rare" functions as an adjectival modifier, specifying the degree to which something is uncommon or scarce. It modifies nouns by indicating a level of rarity that is neither extremely infrequent nor entirely common. Ludwig provides various examples of its use in context.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

31%

Wiki

13%

Less common in

Formal & Business

6%

Social Media

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "moderately rare" is a grammatically sound and usable phrase in English, as confirmed by Ludwig AI. It functions as an adjectival modifier, conveying that something is not common but also not extremely uncommon. It's most frequently found in scientific and news contexts, as shown by Ludwig examples. When using this phrase, ensure that the described item or event truly reflects this middle ground of rarity to avoid overstating its infrequency. Consider alternatives such as "somewhat infrequent" or "relatively uncommon" for nuanced descriptions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

moderately scarce

Maintains "moderately" while substituting "rare" with "scarce", highlighting the limited availability.

somewhat infrequent

Replaces "rare" with "infrequent" and "moderately" with "somewhat", softening the description of scarcity.

relatively uncommon

Uses "uncommon" instead of "rare" and "relatively" instead of "moderately", providing a similar level of infrequency.

somewhat scarce

Uses "somewhat" to describe "scarce", suggesting a bit less strong scarcity.

relatively infrequent

Uses "infrequent" with a modifier "relatively" for a more moderate tone.

fairly unusual

Substitutes "rare" with "unusual" and "moderately" with "fairly", suggesting a deviation from the norm but not extreme scarcity.

fairly uncommon

Employs "uncommon" modified by "fairly" indicating a step above truly rare, suggesting a milder level of rareness.

slightly scarce

Emphasizes the shortage aspect using "scarce", modified by "slightly" to indicate a moderate degree of rarity.

slightly unusual

Employs "unusual" with a modifier "slightly" indicating a step above truly rare, suggesting a milder level of rareness.

not particularly common

Expresses rarity by negating commonness, with "particularly" indicating a moderate level.

FAQs

How can I use "moderately rare" in a sentence?

You can use "moderately rare" to describe something that is not very common but also not extremely uncommon. For instance, "The bird species is considered "moderately rare", with only a few sightings reported each year".

What is a good alternative to "moderately rare"?

Alternatives to "moderately rare" include phrases like "somewhat infrequent", "relatively uncommon", or "fairly unusual" depending on the specific context.

Is it more accurate to say "moderately rare" or "slightly rare"?

"Moderately rare" suggests a higher degree of infrequency than "slightly rare". The choice depends on the actual rarity of the subject. If something is closer to being common, "slightly rare" may be more accurate; otherwise, "moderately rare" is appropriate.

What distinguishes something that is "moderately rare" from something that is simply "rare"?

Something that is simply "rare" is uncommon. Something that is ""moderately rare"" indicates a slightly higher frequency of occurrence than something described as just "rare", suggesting it is not as difficult to find or encounter.