View synonyms for

hardly

[ hahrd-lee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adverb

only just; almost not; barely:
We had hardly reached the lake when it started raining. hardly any; hardly ever.
not at all; scarcely:
That report is hardly surprising.
with little likelihood:
He will hardly come now.
forcefully or vigorously.
with pain or difficulty.
British. harshly or severely.
hard.

hardly

/ ˈ��ɑː��ɪ /

adverb

scarcely; barely
we hardly knew the family
just; only just
he could hardly hold the cup
ironic.
almost or probably not or not at all
he will hardly incriminate himself
with difficulty or effort
rare.
harshly or cruelly

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Usage Note

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. double negative.

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Usage

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of hardly¹

1175–1225; Middle English; Old English heardlice. See hard, -ly

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Synonym Study

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.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But McLaren are hardly likely to stand still in terms of development.

From

It is a bold move, but star players can help teams build empires in the NFL, and having a difference maker on both offence and defence is something the league has hardly ever seen before.

From

He even got away with doing a rollicking version of Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” which he called his favorite song of all time — and which hardly anybody on the field seemed to know.

From

The film’s deceptively modest approach belies a radical strategy to depict ordinary Black life at a time when such images were hardly in abundance.

From

Saracens hardly touched the ball until the eighth minute when Tom Willis went on a spectacular carry, bouncing off challenge after challenge before eventually losing the ball.

From

Related Words

hard luck hardly ever

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