“Rare” and “unprecedented” are often used to describe events or situations that deviate from the norm. However, while “rare” means something is uncommon or infrequent, “unprecedented” refers to something that has never happened before.
Rare
Definition:
“Rare” is an adjective that describes something that is uncommon or infrequent.
Examples:
Exposure to uranium is a rare cause of lung cancer.
Seeing a rare species of bird in the city was a pleasant surprise.
Rare weather conditions like a solar eclipse captivate people worldwide.
Unprecedented
Definition:
“Unprecedented” is an adjective that describes something that has never happened before or has no previous example.
Examples:
They faced a refugee crisis on an unprecedented scale.
The invention of the internet led to unprecedented changes in communication.
The country experienced unprecedented economic growth last year.
While “rare” refers to something that is infrequent or uncommon, “unprecedented” describes something that is entirely new and without prior occurrence. Both words convey a sense of something being out of the ordinary but at different levels of uniqueness.
