rarefied

rarefied
/rair"euh fuyd'/, adj.
1. extremely high or elevated; lofty; exalted: the rarefied atmosphere of a scholarly symposium.
2. of, belonging to, or appealing to an exclusive group; select; esoteric: rarefied tastes.
[1625-35; RAREFY + -ED2]

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • rarefied — [[t]re͟ərɪfaɪd[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n (disapproval) If you talk about the rarefied atmosphere of a place or institution, you are expressing your disapproval of it, because it has a special social or academic status that makes it very… …   English dictionary

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  • rarefied — adjective 1 often humorous rarefied ideas, opinions etc can only be understood by, or only involve, one small group of people: the rarefied atmosphere of international diplomacy 2 rarefied air is the air in high places, which has less oxygen than …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • rarefied — rar|e|fied [ rerə,faıd ] adjective 1. ) intended for a small group of people who are especially intelligent, rich, powerful, etc. This word often shows that you think people like this believe they are better than ordinary people: a glimpse into… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • rarefied — UK [ˈreərɪfaɪd] / US [ˈrerəˌfaɪd] adjective 1) intended for a small group of people who are very intelligent, rich, powerful etc. This word often shows that you think people like this believe they are better than ordinary people a glimpse into… …   English dictionary

  • rarefied — rar•e•fied [[t]ˈrɛər əˌfaɪd[/t]] adj. 1) lofty or elevated; exalted: the rarefied atmosphere of a scholarly symposium[/ex] 2) appealing to or exemplifying an exclusive group; select; esoteric: rarefied tastes[/ex] • Etymology: 1625–35 …   From formal English to slang

  • Rarefied — Rarefy Rar e*fy (r[a^]r [ e]*f[imac]; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Rarefied} (r[a^]r [ e]*f[imac]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Rarefying} (r[a^]r [ e]*f[imac] [i^]ng).] [F. rar[ e]fier; L. rarus rare + ficare (in comp.) to make; cf. L. rarefacere. See { fy} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • rarefied — adjective a) Esoteric. The air at the top of a high mountain is rarefied. b) Less dense than usual …   Wiktionary

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