hardly
Americanadverb
-
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.
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
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
Explanation
The adverb hardly means barely or scarcely at all. If you hardly ever visit your cousins in California, it means you almost never travel to see them. If you hardly know your neighbor, you only know him a little bit, and if you hardly understand what your French teacher says, you're only catching every few words she speaks. Hardly can also be used to talk about time: "We can't leave yet — the party's hardly started!" Hardly originally had nearly the opposite meaning: "with great exertion or effort." The phrase "not hardly," or "a little," eventually lost the "not" and became the hardly we know today.
Vocabulary lists containing hardly
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 S&P 500 is hardly inexpensive at 21 times forward earnings, above its 10-year average of 19.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
Avis’s ascent certainly complicates the outlook for the Dow transports, but it is hardly the only component trending higher.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
Nowadays, the group can hardly exert control of areas within Yemen itself, and again, the intelligence community in 2025 and 2026 can only ascribe “intent” to the group and not actual attacks.
From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026
Though its smell is hardly appetizing, the cloth is surrounded by a group of women, each with her hands on the folds to knead, slap, punch and beat the cloth into shape.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
In fact, she hardly looked up for the rest of the day.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
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.
