Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Seldom for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Seldom" — adverb, pronounced /ˈsɛɛldəm/, with the stress on "sel".
Narrator: Seldom means rarely or not often.
Narrator: In plain English, seldom is a formal way of saying rarely — like I seldom eat out, meaning I rarely do.
Narrator: It comes from the Old English seldan, meaning rarely, of Germanic origin.
Narrator: "Seldom seen" describes something rarely encountered or observed.
Narrator: It differs from rarely because seldom is slightly more formal and old-fashioned, whereas rarely is more common.
Narrator: "Seldom or never" is a phrase meaning almost never, or very rarely indeed.
Narrator: Literature, formal writing, everyday speech and description all rely on the word seldom.
Narrator: So remember: seldom means rarely, from the Old English seldan.
Speaker A: What does seldom mean?
Speaker B: Rarely! SELDOM comes from the Old English seldan, rarely, so it means not often.
Speaker A: So I seldom eat out means I rarely do?
Speaker B: Yes — it's a formal way to say rarely!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "Seldom seen"; "seldom or never"; "I seldom go" — rarity, phrase and habit.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Don't confuse seldom with rarely in tone, because seldom is more formal and old-fashioned, while rarely is everyday.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: 'Rarely' the common cousin, 'scarcely' the barely twin, 'infrequently' the formal alternative. The word keeps its rare charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "seldom" in AI prompts — useful for writing apps and language tools.
Speaker A: So a prompt could frame writing?
Speaker B: Right. For a writing app, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a short guide to using seldom in formal prose, naming two examples.
Speaker A: How about a language tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model to explain:
Prompt: Draft a lesson on seldom versus rarely, naming one difference.
Speaker A: Could it help with a style bot?
Speaker B: Yes, you can frame tone:
Prompt: Summarise in two sentences when to use seldom, naming one context.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For an ESL chatbot, try this:
Prompt: Write a short exercise on seldom, naming two sentences.
Seldom — meaning in Arabic & definition More S courses GL Dictionary