hardly
Americanadverb
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only just; almost not; barely.
We had hardly reached the lake when it started raining. hardly any; hardly ever.
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not at all; scarcely.
That report is hardly surprising.
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with little likelihood.
He will hardly come now.
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forcefully or vigorously.
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with pain or difficulty.
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British. harshly or severely.
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hard.
adverb
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scarcely; barely
we hardly knew the family
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just; only just
he could hardly hold the cup
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ironic almost or probably not or not at all
he will hardly incriminate himself
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with difficulty or effort
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rare harshly or cruelly
Usage
Hardly, barely, and scarcely all have a negative connotation, and the use of any of them with a negative like can't or couldn't is often condemned as a double negative and thus considered nonstandard: I can't hardly wait. Such constructions do occur occasionally in the speech of educated persons, often with jocular intent ( You can't hardly get that kind any more ) but are not found in formal speech or writing. When hardly in the sense “only just, almost not” is followed by a clause, the usual word to introduce the clause is when: The telephone had hardly stopped ringing when (not than ) the doorbell rang. See also double negative.
Since hardly, scarcely, and barely already have negative force, it is redundant to use another negative in the same clause: he had hardly had (not he hadn't hardly had ) time to think; there was scarcely any (not scarcely no ) bread left
Related Words
Hardly, barely, scarcely imply a narrow margin by which performance was, is, or will be achieved. Hardly, though often interchangeable with scarcely and barely, usually emphasizes the idea of the difficulty involved: We could hardly endure the winter. Barely emphasizes the narrowness of the margin of safety, “only just and no more”: We barely succeeded. Scarcely implies a very narrow margin, below satisfactory performance: He can scarcely read.
Etymology
Origin of hardly
1175–1225; Middle English; Old English heardlice. See hard, -ly
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.
Rubino is hardly alone in rethinking her Easter spending.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026
Taylor is hardly a newcomer, but even so, how did you discover her for this show?
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
There is hardly anything that is more sensitive and protected.
From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026
"Of course, in reality there is hardly any loading happening at the moment," he noted.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
I shrugged, like it was such a not-big-deal I could hardly recall.
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.
