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.
Oil importing countries around the world have released some 400 million barrels of strategic fuel reserves, though it has hardly eased the pain.
From Barron's
So, while Arsenal are hardly Barcelona 2008-09, the football they are playing and the way their goals are being scored are not huge departures from some previous title-winning sides.
From BBC
When my family immigrated from China to America, I was surprised that our first shared apartment was on a street with hardly a single English sign.
From Los Angeles Times
But on Tuesday, Washington was hardly an opponent that required heroic efforts to topple.
But given his pedigree, the kid is hardly above suspicion.
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.
