hardly ever

Idioms and Phrases

Also, rarely ever , scarcely ever . Very seldom, almost never, as in This kind of thief is hardly ever caught , or He rarely ever brings up his wartime experiences . The ever in these expressions, first recorded in 1694, serves as an intensifier.

Example Sentences

Jayce Baron, another one of Java’s caretakers in her final years, said queer people today are “benefiting as a community on the backs and shoulders of trans people of color, and are hardly ever giving them their credit or their just due.”

From Los Angeles Times

Dinosaurs are hardly ever found in their entirety, and this one is no exception.

From Los Angeles Times

But on the ground campaigning for reelection, Kiley said that he is focused on issues such as crime and the cost of living and that politics comes up “hardly ever.”

From Los Angeles Times

Possibly citrus, I hardly ever cook without lemon, lime or a sour orange finding its way in there.

From Salon

And while there’s nothing wrong with a director emulating a certain aesthetic, Burton’s well-documented history of hardly ever casting minority actors for his roles makes the "Soul Train" scene sit all the more uncomfortably.

From Salon

Related Words

• a few times
• hardly
• occasionally
• rarely
• scarcely
• sometimes
• sporadically