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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.

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

“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

Now Australia go to the second Test in Brisbane, played in a day-night format they hardly ever lose.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2025

It never stops and there’s hardly ever repetition.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025

He’s not really elegant, but he’s hardly ever sad.

From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani

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.