English Meaning & Definitions
Almost not; barely; by a narrow margin.
- “She could scarcely hear the speaker over the loud noise in the room.”
- “There was scarcely enough food left for everyone at the party.”
Only just; almost immediately before.
- “He had scarcely closed his eyes when the alarm clock went off.”
- “They had scarcely arrived home when it started to pour rain.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “scarcely”.
Derived from the adjective 'scarce' (from Old French 'escars', meaning sparing or scant, of Germanic origin) combined with the adverbial suffix '-ly'. In Middle English, it originally meant sparingly or stingily before shifting to its primary modern meaning of 'hardly' or 'barely' by the 16th century.
Think of 'scarce' (hard to find) and add '-ly' to mean it happens 'hardly' ever or with great difficulty.
Frequently Asked Questions About “scarcely”
1. What is the meaning of “scarcely” in English?
In English, scarcely (adverb) is defined as: “Almost not; barely; by a narrow margin.”.
2. How do you use “scarcely” in a sentence?
“She could scarcely hear the speaker over the loud noise in the room.”
3. What are English synonyms of “scarcely”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “scarcely”?
Derived from the adjective 'scarce' (from Old French 'escars', meaning sparing or scant, of Germanic origin) combined with the adverbial suffix '-ly'. In Middle English, it originally meant sparingly or stingily before shifting to its primary modern meaning of 'hardly' or 'barely' by the 16th century.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
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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.