Hardly Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Related Words

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms hardly American [hahrd-lee] / ˈhɑrd li /

adverb

1. only just; almost not; barely.

   We had hardly reached the lake when it started raining. hardly any; hardly ever.

2. not at all; scarcely.

   That report is hardly surprising.

3. with little likelihood.

   He will hardly come now.

4. forcefully or vigorously.

5. with pain or difficulty.

6. British. harshly or severely.

7. hard.

hardly British / ˈhɑːdlɪ /

adverb

1. scarcely; barely

   we hardly knew the family

2. just; only just

   he could hardly hold the cup

3. ironic almost or probably not or not at all

   he will hardly incriminate himself

4. with difficulty or effort

5. rare harshly or cruelly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

The long-term absences of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison have hardly helped matters and a stretched squad was without a total of 11 players last weekend, considerably more than any other Premier League club.

From BBC

Sandisk’s stock is off fractionally on Tuesday, with the report hardly marring the first anniversary of the split.

From MarketWatch

Mrie’s memoir is a useful primer, if hardly the last word, on the complexities of the civil war and the shortcomings of the rebel forces.

From Los Angeles Times

“And that continued throughout the game. There were hardly any pink jerseys in the crowd. It was a real testament to the incredible fan base of LAFC.”

From Los Angeles Times

The marriage of a man and a man, or a woman and a woman, would require hardly any change to the paperwork.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• barely
• comparatively
• practically
• rarely
• seldom
• simply
• somewhat

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.