hardly

hard-ly · adverb

imported

Definitions

adverb

  1. 1.

    Barely; almost not.

  2. 2.

    Only just; almost not at all.

  3. 3.

    Used to say that something is not the case.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    hardly ever — Almost never.
  • •
    hardly any — Almost none.
  • •
    can hardly wait — Very eager.
  • •
    hardly surprising — Not surprising at all.

Related words

Antonyms: completely, easily, fully
See also: barely, hard, scarcely
Synonyms: almost not, barely, scarcely

Etymology

From Old English heardlice ("harshly, severely"), from heard ("hard") + -lice ("-ly"). The meaning shifted from "harshly" to "barely."