rarefied
adjective /ˈreərɪfaɪd/
/ˈrerɪfaɪd/
[usually before noun]- (often disapproving) understood or experienced by only a very small group of people who share a particular area of knowledge or activity
- the rarefied atmosphere of academic life
- (of air) containing less oxygen than usual
- Climbers may experience difficulty breathing in the rarefied air at high altitudes.