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- Dictionaryrarefied/ˈrɛːrɪfʌɪd/
adjective
- 1. (of air, especially that at high altitudes) of lower pressure than usual; thin: "every ounce carried counts triple when you're trudging uphill in rarefied air"
- 2. distant from the lives and concerns of ordinary people; esoteric: "rarefied scholarly pursuits"
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RAREFIED definition: 1. (of air) with little oxygen 2. without any of the problems of ordinary life: 3. (of air) with…. Learn more.
: very high. Did you know? In the upper reaches of Chomolungma, known more familiarly as Mount Everest, the air is so rarefied—so much less dense than at lower elevations—that most climbers use supplemental oxygen in order to successfully complete their climb.
1. exalted in nature or character; lofty. a rarefied spiritual existence. 2. current within only a small group; esoteric or exclusive. 3. (of a gas, esp the atmosphere at high altitudes) having a low density; thin. Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers.
Use the adjective rarefied to describe things that are so stylish, smart, or moral that they seem elevated above the ordinary, like the rarefied conversation of brilliant scholars. To correctly pronounce rarefied, accent the first syllable: "RARE-uh-fied."
(of air) containing less oxygen than usual. Climbers may experience difficulty breathing in the rarefied air at high altitudes. See rarefied in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Check pronunciation: rarefied. Definition of rarefied adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Rarefied definition: extremely high or elevated; lofty; exalted. See examples of RAREFIED used in a sentence.
1. exalted in nature or character; lofty: a rarefied spiritual existence. 2. current within only a small group; esoteric or exclusive. 3. (General Physics) (of a gas, esp the atmosphere at high altitudes) having a low density; thin.
Rarefied definition: extremely high or elevated; lofty; exalted. See examples of RAREFIED used in a sentence.
adjective. Not dense; thin. The rarefied air of the high peaks. American Heritage. Belonging to or reserved for a small select group; exclusive. Accepted in the most rarefied social circles. American Heritage. Refined or esoteric. Rarefied academic theorizing; a man of rarefied appetites.
to become less solid or dense; to make something do this: The primordial cosmic soup is full of sound waves compressing and rarefying matter and light. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Becoming and making smaller or less. abridgment. attenuated. attenuating. attenuation. compress. contraction. dwindle. dwindling.
