hardly ever

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Related Words

• a few times
• hardly
• occasionally
• rarely
• scarcely
• sometimes
• sporadically