few and far between

Meaning

Rare and scarce; hard to find.

Opposite of

far and wide, thick on the ground, common, widespread, abundant, ;, ubiquitous

Synonyms

almost never

sparse

not very much

be thinly scattered

Translations

ganz vereinzelt

rares

Etymology

Attested at least since the 17th century. Was originally reserved for physical objects, such as houses, appearing with wide gaps between, but today it is also applied to more abstract things. Being rare also implies that the average gaps between the objects are wide.