rarely

hardly ever

Nearly never; very infrequently; only on a few or rare occasions. We used to go visit Grandma and Grandpa every year when I was a kid, but nowadays I hardly ever see them. I hardly ever get the chance to go out to the movies alone since having kids.
See also: ever, hardly

rarely ever

Nearly never; very infrequently; only on a few or rare occasions. We used to go visit Grandma and Grandpa every year when I was a kid, but nowadays, I rarely ever see them. I rarely ever get the chance to go out to the movies alone since having kids.
See also: ever, rarely
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

hardly ever

Also, rarely ever, scarcely ever. Very seldom, almost never, as in This kind of thief is hardly ever caught, or He rarely ever brings up his wartime experiences. The ever in these expressions, first recorded in 1694, serves as an intensifier.
See also: ever, hardly
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • hardly ever
  • rarely ever
  • scarcely ever
  • kid around
  • go strong
  • go on for an age
  • go on for ages
  • a sometime thing
  • something thing, a
  • be as deaf as a post
References in periodicals archive
In the Philippines, 55 percent felt that the government rarely or never acted in their interests, about the same as in Mexico and Taiwan.
Of the 10 countries that had the highest percentages of people saying their voices were rarely or never heard, nine are democracies, Dalia said.
Tracheal bronchus and lung cancer association is rarely stated in the literature.
Didn't get much of a look-in and rarely works hard to go looking for the ball
Blue whales are believed to be the largest animals in the world and are rarely seen, according to local media.
In a speech to the Families Need Fathers charity, the judge, who is president of the Family Division, said: "Separating parents rarely behave reasonably, although they always believe that they are doing so, and that the other party is behaving unreasonably.
Few of the hard-ups and fed-ups, and the host of correspondents who write as if they were the only folk who paid their taxes, would dream of offering their services for the thankless task of being local councillors - our councillors whose services are rarely appreciated and usually undervalued.
"Rarely does such a prime piece of residential real estate come to market," said Gutoff, "and rarely does a potential investor have such an excellent opportunity to maximize rental income in a condo market that has temporarily cooled.
Elderly adults who regularly consume curry spice demonstrate better cognitive performance than those who rarely or never eat curry, report scientists in Singapore.
People with generally positive outlooks show greater resistance to developing colds than do individuals who rarely revel in upbeat feelings, a new investigation finds.
3) Is he A: rarely reachable, or B: staying connected?
For one, traumatic perforations rarely lead to CSOM.
He escaped slavery before the Civil War and rose to an office still rarely held by anyone black.
Even so, doctors rarely warn their young patients about the dangers of tanning.
Belligerence and aggression will rarely succeed, whereas patient determination and sticking to principles can.