infrequent

/ɪnˈfriːkwənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈfriːkwənt/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)in-ˈfrē-kwənt/ (ame, mw)

infrequent — 形容詞

  • infrequentpositive
  • more infrequentcomparative
  • most infrequentsuperlative

1. happening so little that it feels unusual or noticeable when it does occur

1.形容詞B2
釋義

不常

不常發生的；次數少的

happening so little that it feels unusual or noticeable when it does occur

例句

Xin makes infrequent trips to his hometown because the train fare is expensive.

Xin 因為火車票太貴，所以不常回老家。

attributive: infrequent + trips

Hassan's calls became infrequent after he started working night shifts at the hospital.

Hassan 開始在醫院上夜班後，打電話的次數就變少了。

predicative: became + infrequent

同義詞
  • rare

    stronger than infrequent; suggests something is both uncommon and valuable or exceptional, while infrequent simply says it doesn't happen often

  • uncommon

    broader than infrequent; can describe low frequency (events) or low incidence (qualities, objects)

  • occasional

    emphasises that something happens from time to time but not regularly; slightly less formal than infrequent

反義詞
  • frequent

    direct opposite; frequent means happening often, while infrequent means not happening often

  • regular

    describes something that happens at evenly spaced, predictable intervals, contrasting with the irregularity implied by infrequent

文法句型

infrequent + noun

be/become/remain + infrequent

用法筆記

Often used attributively before a noun (infrequent visits) or predicatively with be, become, or remain. More common in formal written English than in casual conversation. The noun form infrequency and adverb infrequently follow the same patterns.

常見錯誤

❌This type of flower is infrequent in Taiwan.
✅This type of flower is rare in Taiwan.
💡'infrequent' describes how often an event happens over time, not how scarce an object or thing is.
❌She made infrequent mistakes on the test.
✅She made very few mistakes on the test.
💡'infrequent' refers to events spread over time, not to a low count among a fixed set of items.