not often synonym rarely不常;很少;难得 He had seldom seen a child with so much talent. 有如此天赋的孩子他以往没见过几个。 She seldom, if ever, goes to the theatre. 她难得上剧院看场戏——即便不能说从来不去。 They seldom watch television these days. 这些日子他们很少看电视。 - (literary)
Seldom had he seen such beauty. 他以前很少见过这样的美景。
Extra ExamplesShe seldom smiled. 她难得一笑。 Why is the symphony so seldom played? 为什么交响乐很少演奏? They work hard and seldom take holidays. 他们工作努力,很少休假。 People are very seldom exactly what you would like them to be. 人们很少像你希望的那样。 Seldom have I come across such vindictive reviews. 我很少遇到这样的报复性评论。 It is seldom that a week passes by without my having several letters on the subject. 我很少一个星期没有收到几封关于这个问题的信。 Revenge was seldom, if ever, the motive in these cases. 这些案件的动机很少是为了复仇的。
Oxford Collocations DictionarySeldom is used with these verbs:- exceed
- mention
- venture
- …
Word OriginOld English seldan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zelden and German selten, from a base meaning ‘strange, wonderful’.