Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for rarefied

rarefied

[ rair-uh-fahyd ]

adjective

  1. extremely high or elevated; lofty; exalted:

    the rarefied atmosphere of a scholarly symposium.

  2. of, belonging to, or appealing to an exclusive group; select; esoteric:

    rarefied tastes.



rarefied

/ ˈrɛərɪˌfaɪd /

adjective

  1. exalted in nature or character; lofty

    a rarefied spiritual existence

  2. current within only a small group; esoteric or exclusive
  3. (of a gas, esp the atmosphere at high altitudes) having a low density; thin


Discover More

Other Words From

  • ultra·rare·fied adjective
  • un·rare·fied adjective

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of rarefied1

First recorded in 1660–70; rarefy + -ed 2

Discover More

Example Sentences

These subtleties are easily missed from the national perspective and, apparently, inside the rarefied air of the NRCC.

St. Peter Damian damned her for “excessive delicacy” in preferring such a rarefied implement to her God-given hands.

They know how to talk mathematics of a very rarefied kind that most of us find quite impossible to understand.

She is not some rarefied doyenne whose choices carry moral clout.

With that single gesture, he put a human face on this rarefied brand, one that last year boasted €826 million in revenue.

In its ascent the air is cooled, rarefied, and to a great extent deprived of its moisture.

Lifted upward, the air as it ascends the slopes is brought into cooler and more rarefied conditions.

For in the rarefied air at high altitudes there is insufficient oxygen to promote the normal oxidation of bodily tissue.

After an abode of some time in the mountainous regions, the constitution becomes inured to the rarefied atmosphere.

The girl felt light-headed and giddy as though the rush above had rarefied the air under the cliffs.

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


rarefactionrarefy