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Synonyms

hardly ever

Idioms  

  1. 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.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"But mainly, nobody cared," she said, adding: "I never get recognised in Ponty hardly ever."

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

I hardly ever read or even think about Poe anymore, but I suppose those stories first directed my mind’s eye toward infinity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

"Unfortunately we're maybe the only team that hardly ever scores from a set-piece and, even worse, we constantly concede," said Slot.

From Barron's • Dec. 28, 2025

“I used to call them, but you can hardly ever get through unless you want to wait on the phone for 45 minutes to an hour.”

From MarketWatch • Dec. 19, 2025

It hardly ever speaks, and even if it does you often have to wait awhile.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.