Occasional vs. Rare — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Occasional and Rare
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Compare with Definitions
Occasional
Occurring, appearing, or done infrequently and irregularly
The occasional car went by but no taxis
Rare
Infrequently occurring; uncommon
A rare event.
A plant that is rare in this region.
Occasional
Occurring, encountered, done, or taken from time to time; irregular or infrequent.
Rare
Excellent; extraordinary
A rare sense of honor.
Occasional
Created for a special occasion
Occasional verse.
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Rare
Thin in density; rarefied
Rare air.
Occasional
Intended for use as the occasion requires
An occasional chair.
Rare
Cooked just a short time so as to retain juice and redness
A rare steak.
Occasional
Being a factor that makes something possible; being a cause of something.
Rare
Very uncommon; scarce.
Black pearls are very rare and therefore very valuable.
Occasional
Acting in a specified capacity from time to time
An occasional hunter.
Rare
(of a gas) Thin; of low density.
Occasional
Occurring or appearing irregularly from time to time, but not often.
He was mostly solitary, but enjoyed the occasional visitor.
He took an occasional glass of wine.
Rare
Good; enjoyable.
Occasional
Created for a specific occasion.
Elgar's music was not created to be occasional music for high-school graduations.
Rare
(cooking) Particularly of meat, especially beefsteak: cooked very lightly, so the meat is still red.
Well done
Occasional
Intended for use as the occasion requires.
What your living room needs are some occasional chairs.
Rare
(obsolete) Early.
Occasional
Acting in the indicated role from time to time.
He is an occasional writer of letters to the editor.
Rare
(gaming) A scarce or uncommon item.
Occasional
A person who does something only occasionally.
Rare
To rear, rise up, start backwards.
Occasional
Occuring at times, but not constant, regular, or systematic; made or happening as opportunity requires or admits; casual; incidental; as, occasional remarks, or efforts.
The . . . occasional writing of the present times.
Rare
To rear, bring up, raise.
Occasional
Produced by accident; as, the occasional origin of a thing.
Rare
Early.
Rude mechanicals that rare and lateWork in the market place.
Occasional
Of or pertaining to an occasion or to occasions; intended for a specific occasion; for use only when needed, and not regularly.
Rare
Nearly raw; partially cooked; not thoroughly cooked; underdone; as, rare beef or mutton.
New-laid eggs, which Baucis' busy careTurned by a gentle fire, and roasted rare.
Occasional
Occurring from time to time;
Took an occasional glass of wine
Rare
Not frequent; seldom met with or occurring; unusual; as, a rare event.
Occasional
Occurring or appearing at usually irregular intervals;
Episodic in his affections
Occasional headaches
Rare
Of an uncommon nature; unusually excellent; valuable to a degree seldom found.
Rare work, all filled with terror and delight.
Above the rest I judge one beauty rare.
Occasional
Employed in a specified capacity from time to time;
Casual employment
A casual correspondence with a former teacher
An occasional worker
Rare
Thinly scattered; dispersed.
Those rare and solitary, these in flocks.
Rare
Characterized by wide separation of parts; of loose texture; not thick or dense; thin; as, a rare atmosphere at high elevations.
Water is nineteen times lighter, and by consequence nineteen times rarer, than gold.
A perfect union of wit and judgment is one of the rarest things in the world.
When any particular piece of money grew very scarce, it was often recoined by a succeeding emperor.
Rare
Not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness;
A rare word
Rare books
Rare
Recurring only at long intervals;
A rare appearance
Total eclipses are rare events
Rare
Not widely distributed;
Rare herbs
Rare patches of gree in the desert
Rare
Marked by an uncommon quality; especially superlative or extreme of its kind;
What is so rare as a day in June
A rare skill
An uncommon sense of humor
She was kind to an uncommon degree
Rare
Having low density;
Rare gasses
Lightheaded from the rarefied mountain air
Rare
(of meat) cooked a short time; still red inside;
Rare roast beef
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