rarefied
/ˈrɛrəfaɪd/
adjective
- Belonging to or characteristic of an elite, exclusive, or highly sophisticated group; not ordinary or common.
- The art gallery opening was a rarefied event attended only by wealthy collectors.
- Living in a rarefied world of luxury, he rarely encountered everyday problems.
- She found the conversation at the academic conference too rarefied for her taste.
- (of air or atmosphere) thin, with low oxygen or pressure, especially at high altitudes.
- The rarefied atmosphere at the top of the mountain made the hikers dizzy.
- High-altitude balloons float in the rarefied air of the upper atmosphere.
- Climbers struggle to breathe in the rarefied air of Mount Everest.