infrequente

Infrequente is an Italian adjective that means not frequent or rare. It describes something that does not occur often, or a level of attendance, occurrence, or repetition that happens only sporadically within a given context. The term is used in everyday language as well as in more formal or technical registers to characterize events, visits, or phenomena that are uncommon.

Etymology and form: infrequente derives from the Latin infrequens, formed from in- (not) and frequens (frequent). The word entered Italian through Latin and the Romance tradition and is used predominantly as an adjective. The corresponding adverb form is less common; speakers typically use raramente or di rado.

Usage and nuances: Infrequente is opposite to frequente and conveys lower regularity or probability than the standard term. It is closely related to synonyms such as raro, poco frequente, sporadico, or occasionale, though each carries a slightly different shade of meaning. It can describe visits to a place, occurrences in a dataset, or participation in an activity.

Examples: Le visite infrequenti del museo riflettono orari limitati. La presenza di eventi naturali infrequenti è tipica di questa regione. In scientific writing, infrequente may be used to denote events with low incidence or low prevalence, though in many contexts raramente or di rado are preferred.

See also: frequenza, frequente, raro, sporadico.