English Meaning & Definitions
Scarcely; almost not; by a very narrow margin.
- “She could hardly hear the speaker over the loud noise.”
- “There is hardly any milk left in the fridge.”
Used to suggest that something is unlikely, unreasonable, or surprising.
- “You can hardly expect me to believe that story.”
- “It's hardly surprising that they lost the match after playing so poorly.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “hardly”.
Derived from Middle English 'hardliche', meaning 'firmly, severely, or boldly', from Old English 'heardlīce'. Over time, the meaning shifted from physical force or difficulty (similarly to 'hard') to a negative qualifying adverb meaning 'scarcely' or 'almost not'.
Think of working 'hard', but adding '-ly' turns it into 'almost not at all'—working hard leaves you with hardly any energy!
Frequently Asked Questions About “hardly”
1. What is the meaning of “hardly” in English?
In English, hardly (adverb) is defined as: “Scarcely; almost not; by a very narrow margin.”.
2. How do you use “hardly” in a sentence?
“She could hardly hear the speaker over the loud noise.”
3. What are English synonyms of “hardly”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “hardly”?
Derived from Middle English 'hardliche', meaning 'firmly, severely, or boldly', from Old English 'heardlīce'. Over time, the meaning shifted from physical force or difficulty (similarly to 'hard') to a negative qualifying adverb meaning 'scarcely' or 'almost not'.
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A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.