Let's start with the familiar word "rare." It traces back to the Latin rarus, meaning "thin, loose, scattered, or having lots of empty space." Although today it most often means "hard to find, or very special because there are so few of them," in English it originally was more literal, meaning "having particles that are spaced far apart: not dense, not compact." We used it to describe things like soil and bodily organs, and later, air and gas.

So, to rarefy things—like to rarefy air—is to make it thinner by spacing out the particles: "The morning sun rarefied the fog." And when things rarefy, they get spaced out: "As the sun rose, the fog rarefied."

Rarefied things, then, can be thin, with the particles spread far apart. And figuratively, because air rarefies as you climb higher on a mountain or ascend higher into the atmosphere, rarefied things can be lofty, noble, and elevated.

Part of speech:

Adjective: "rarefied air," "This far up the mountain, the air is rarefied."

Other forms: 

The verb forms are "rarefy" and "rarefying."

And the noun is "rarefaction."

how to use it:

"Rarefied" is a formal, semi-common word.

We talk literally about rarefied air, usually around mountaintops.

And we talk figuratively about the rarefied air or atmosphere somewhere: "the rarefied air of the art-collecting world," "the rarefied atmosphere of New England country clubs," "the rarefied air of multi-million-dollar home buying," "the rarefied air of fame (Washington Post)."

We also talk about rarefied skills, artistry, tastes, experiences, thrills, challenges and so on: the kind that are elevated far above what's normal. Even types of people can be rarefied: you might talk about rarefied artists, for instance, or rarefied poets.

While "rarefied" can sound positive or neutral, it can also sound negative. Here's Jimmy Doyle: "I began to see Oprah as living in a rarefied air, just one billionaire talking to another in her interview with J.K. Rowling."

examples:

"The planes gained altitude steadily and were above nine thousand feet... There was always sunshine, always a tiny sticking in the throat from the rarefied air."
 — Joseph Heller, Catch-22, 1961

"In the rarefied world of high fashion... [the designer Karl Lagerfeld] was revered and feared in similar proportions by competitors and top-models."
— Brian Love and Sarah White, Reuters, 19 February 2019

has this page helped you understand "rarefied"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "rarefied" without saying "elevated" or "exalted."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Someone or something very successful) joined a rarefied company of (other very successful people or things)."

Example 1: "The poet Amanda Gorman joined the rarefied company of Super Bowl pregame performers, including Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, and Neil Diamond."

Example 2: "A tiny taqueria in Mexico City, in business since 1968, has become the first taco stand to be awarded a Michelin star. El Califa de León's chef, Arturo Rivera Martínez, joined a rarefied company of culinary superstars including Alain Ducasse, Heston Blumenthal and Anne-Sophie Pic."
 — Rebecca Messina, The Week, 22 May 2024

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is "Stop, Drop, & Anagram!"

I’ll give you an 8-letter word, along with a quote with a blank in it. Your job is to drop a letter from the word, then reassemble it into the 7-letter word that fits meaningfully into the blank. You'll find the answer at the bottom of the issue. Enjoy!

Try this one today:

RUMINATE.

"Rich _____ clothed the body; polished stones glowed in his broad belt. The clawed hands still grasped the jeweled hilt of a sword, as if ready to unsheath it."
— Lloyd Alexander, The Book of Three, 1964

review this word:

1. Opposites of RAREFIED include

A. DENSE and BASE.
B. ARID and STIFLING.
C. POPULAR and APPEALING.

2. Describing a "behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a ballet," the Los Angeles Times said that "it may sound rarefied but has enough moments of truth and beauty to _____."

A. seem timeless
B. engage general audiences
C. impress the most discriminating of connoisseurs

Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. B Answer to the game question: RUMINATE becomes RAIMENT: "Rich raiment clothed the body; polished stones glowed in his broad belt. The clawed hands still grasped the jeweled hilt of a sword, as if ready to unsheath it." — Lloyd Alexander, The Book of Three, 1964

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.