scarcely

[ skairs-lee ]

adverb

1. barely; hardly; not quite:

   The light is so dim we can scarcely see.

2. definitely not:

   This is scarcely the time to raise such questions.

3. probably not:

   You could scarcely have chosen better.

scarcely

/ ˈskɛəslɪ /

adverb

1. hardly at all; only just
2. ironic.
   probably not or definitely not

   that is scarcely justification for your actions

Usage Note

See hardly.

Usage

See hardly

Word History and Origins

Origin of scarcely¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; scarce, -ly

Synonym Study

See hardly.

Example Sentences

Electron is only 59 feet tall and scarcely four feet in diameter, significantly smaller than other rockets going to space today.

From TechCrunch

He observed that in stark contrast to the English way of executing “great things in isolation…there is scarcely an undertaking so small that Americans do not unite for it.”

From Time

The delta variant plaguing much of the country has been scarcely detected in the District, and as cases among vaccinated people are generally not severe, the city’s hospitals are not overwhelmed by covid-19 patients.

From Washington Post

The most glittering sporting event on the planet will be elevated once again by epic personal histories involving bloodshed, poverty and a level of endurance other Olympians could scarcely imagine.

From Time

People, who inhabit just a handful of Ross’ works, scarcely have the same impact.

From Popular-Science

This is amazing progress considering that marriage equality in the first state was achieved scarcely more than a decade ago.

From The Daily Beast

And he scarcely bothered to hide his chief ambition: to lead his country as prime minister.

From The Daily Beast

And as he sees it they were scarcely more qualified than he was to lead a group of green soldiers into battle.

From The Daily Beast

The Internet gives video on demand the kind of universal reach that revival houses could scarcely dream of.

From The Daily Beast

Law is weak in Iraq and scarcely exists apart from violence.

From The Daily Beast

I assure you, no matter how beautifully we play any piece, the minute Liszt plays it, you would scarcely recognize it!

From Project Gutenberg

But he walked up and down the room and forced himself to listen, though he could scarcely bear it, I could see.

From Project Gutenberg

The artist, though emphasizing the latter, can scarcely achieve power in this without also attaining the former.

From Project Gutenberg

This reading secures scarcely anything more than a succession of sights to the eye or sounds to the ear.

From Project Gutenberg

For my part, I scarcely know what to say; inasmuch as I do not care either to affirm or deny a thing of which I have no proof.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• hardly
• rarely
• seldom