HARDLY | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

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Meaning of hardly in English hardlyadverb uk /ˈhɑːd.li/ us /ˈhɑːrd.li/

hardly adverb (ONLY JUST)

Add to word list Add to word list B1 only just; almost not: can hardly I could hardly hear her at the back. The party had hardly started when she left. He hardly ate anything/He ate hardly anything.hardly ever We hardly ever (= almost never) go to concerts. Hardly had a moment passed before the door creaked open.
  • It's so airless in here - I can hardly breathe.
  • Hardly anyone turned up for the party.
  • The instructions are printed so small I can hardly read them.
  • "Where's Mikey?" "How should I know? He's hardly ever in the office these days."
  • I hardly watch any television, apart from news and current affairs.
Merely and barely
  • all
  • all of something idiom
  • at a pinch idiom
  • barely
  • but
  • by a whisker idiom
  • by inches idiom
  • ill
  • inch
  • is all idiom
  • just
  • mere
  • merely
  • merest
  • narrowly
  • only
  • scarce
  • scarcely
  • whisker
See more results »

hardly adverb (CERTAINLY NOT)

B2 certainly not: can hardly You can hardly expect a pay rise when you've only been working for the company for two weeks! Well don't be angry with me - it's hardly my fault that it's raining!
  • It's a policy that was hardly calculated to win votes.
  • Her worldly success can hardly be denied.
  • I had hoped for a little more from the world's greatest tenor, whose performance was workmanlike but hardly inspired.
  • He had a few tufts of hair on his chin, but you could hardly call it a beard.
  • It's hardly not surprising (that) you're putting on weight, considering how much you're eating.
Yes, no & not
  • a sure thing idiom
  • affirmation
  • affirmatively
  • ain't
  • betcha
  • bit
  • course
  • didn't
  • does a bear/do bears shit in the woods? idiom
  • far
  • nah
  • opposed
  • self-negating
  • slight
  • sure
  • wasn't
  • weren't
  • wouldn't be seen dead idiom
  • yes
  • you bet idiom
See more results »

Grammar

HardlyHardly is an adverb. … Hardly ever, rarely, scarcely, seldomHardly ever, rarely, scarcely and seldom are frequency adverbs. We can use them to refer to things that almost never happen, or do not happen very often. They have a negative meaning. We use them without not. Rarely, scarcely and seldom are more common in writing than in speaking: … (Definition of hardly from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

hardly | American Dictionary

hardlyadverb [ not gradable ] us /ˈhɑrd·li/

hardly adverb [not gradable] (ONLY JUST)

Add to word list Add to word list only just or almost not: Hardly a day passes that I don’t think about it. You’ve hardly eaten anything. Something is wrong with the phone – I can hardly hear you. I can hardly wait for your visit. We hardly ever see them anymore.

hardly adverb [not gradable] (CERTAINLY NOT)

certainly not: It’s hardly surprising that he was angry. (Definition of hardly from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of hardly

hardly Though that is hardly a brief for paternalism, it should make us-at least those of us with liberal sympathies-rather concerned. From the Cambridge English Corpus Such struggles over the principle of succession were hardly unique in the contested politics of indirect rule. From the Cambridge English Corpus Another observation is that target-deviant omissions hardly ever concern subjects in group 1 children. From the Cambridge English Corpus In fact, it is hardly correct to speak about a strategy. From the Cambridge English Corpus The conclusion of the paper is that it is hardly possible to explain the similarities in the contact patterns with the help of macro-sociolinguistic factors. From the Cambridge English Corpus The type of onset had hardly any effect whereas the offset consonant had a marked influence. From the Cambridge English Corpus Teachers' beliefs and motivation are also hardly ever researched. From the Cambridge English Corpus Now the field is rapidly evolving, which means that this article can hardly be more than a snapshot of the knowledge as of 2001. From the Cambridge English Corpus Their conclusion is, however, hardly general, as the authors themselves admit. From the Cambridge English Corpus They are hardly quoted in the debate, possibly assuming that they are fixed. From the Cambridge English Corpus Such was hardly the case in pre-war resumptions. From the Cambridge English Corpus Furthermore, an immediate transplant for this patient would hardly be a good for her. From the Cambridge English Corpus From a human rights point of view, the value of testimony can hardly be exaggerated. From the Cambridge English Corpus In laterite outcrops, where the influence of the rains is hardly felt, large expanses of small bamboos of stunted appearance are met with. From the Cambridge English Corpus Again, there was hardly any growth till week 30, and then a very rapid incline between weeks 30 and 40. From the Cambridge English Corpus See all examples of hardly These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. What is the pronunciation of hardly?

Translations of hardly

in Chinese (Traditional) 僅僅, 幾乎不, 絕不… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 仅仅, 几乎不, 绝不… See more in Spanish apenas, no, ¡qué va!… See more in Portuguese dificilmente, apenas, quase não… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian फक्त, जवळजवळ नाही… See more ほとんど～ない, 決して～ない, どう考えても～ない… See more güç bela, çok az, ancak… See more à peine, certainement pas, presque… See more amb prou feines, no, i ara!… See more bijna, nauwelijks, amper… See more மட்டுமே / ஓரளவு, கிட்டத்தட்ட அல்ல, நிச்சயமாக இல்லை… See more केवल बस, लगभग नहीं, शायद ही… See more ભાગ્યે જ, કદાચ, મહામુશ્કેલીએ… See more næsten, næsten ikke, næppe… See more knappt, knappast, nästan ingen (inget… See more hampir tiada, hampir tidak, mungkin tidak… See more kaum… See more knapt, nesten ikke, ikke… See more بہ مشکل, تقریباً نہیں کے برابر, مشکل سے… See more ледве, насилу, навряд… See more కొద్దిమాత్రమే, ఇంచుమించుగా కానిది, అసలే కాదు… See more কষ্ট সহকারে, প্রায় না- য়ের মতো, খুবই কম… See more skoro, sotva, stěží… See more hampir tidak ada, hampir tidak bisa, tidak mungkin… See more แทบจะไม่, เกือบจะไม่, อาจจะไม่… See more hầu như không, khó có thể… See more prawie nie, ledwie, ledwo… See more 거의 -하지 않다, 전혀 -가 아니다… See more a malapena, appena, sicuramente non… See more Need a translator?

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hardheadedly hardily hardiness hardliner hardly hardly ever hardly/barely put one foot in front of the other idiom hardness hardpan BETA {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of hardly

  • hardly ever
  • can hardly do something
  • can hardly wait, at can't wait idiom
  • I need hardly do something idiom
  • hardly/barely put one foot in front of the other idiom
See all meanings
  • can hardly wait, at can't wait idiom
  • I need hardly do something idiom
  • hardly/barely put one foot in front of the other idiom
See all idioms and phrases

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  • English   
    • Adverb 
      • hardly (ONLY JUST)
      • hardly (CERTAINLY NOT)
  • American   
    • Adverb 
      • hardly (ONLY JUST)
      • hardly (CERTAINLY NOT)
  • Examples
  • Translations
  • Grammar
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