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While genetic architecture has been investigated extensively at the trait-level, little is known about how genetic architecture varies among individuals across the trait continuum. Here we reveal striking departures from polygenicity in the distribution tails of a range of human traits (e.g. in individuals with high LDL, low/high sitting height, early age of menopause) and implicate stabilising selection as a chief cause. Applying statistical tests to infer trait tail architecture from polygenic risk scores (PRSs) in population data and from sibling trait-similarity in family data, leveraging the large UK Biobank and All of US datasets, we observe consistent patterns of reduced polygenicity in trait tails between tests, cohorts, and ancestries. Our study provides insights into how genetic architecture varies across the trait continuum, demonstrating a pervasive pattern of reduced polygenicity in trait tails that limits PRS accuracy, and that highlights the key role of rare variants in complex traits, specifically within trait tails, where disease manifests.