hardly

[ hahrd-lee ]

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

/ 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

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.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hardly¹

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

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.

Example Sentences

That’s hardly the number that Ramaswamy must have been thinking of with his Social Security exercise, but it’s still quite a hefty one.

From Slate

The sympathizers, who are to all appearances still innocuous fellow-citizens in a nontotalitarian society, can hardly be called single-minded fanatics; through them, the movements make their fantastic lies more generally acceptable, can spread their propaganda in milder, more respectable forms, until the whole atmosphere is poisoned with totalitarian elements which are hardly recognizable as such but appear to be normal political reactions or opinions.

From Salon

Indeed, this becomes so routine it can hardly be called suspenseful, apart from wondering if maybe the writers will send him in a different direction the next time.

From Los Angeles Times

A UN-backed report recently warned that there was an imminent likelihood of famine in northern Gaza, where hardly any aid has entered in the past month.

From BBC

What’s striking about the casting is that Scherzinger hardly resembles the image of a washed-up movie queen.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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