Definition Synonyms
Definition of hardly - Reverso English Dictionary
Adverb
1.
scarcityalmost not, barely
- I could hardly hear the speaker..
2.
timeDated UK only a very short time beforeDated UK
- Hardly had I arrived when it started raining.
Expressions with hardly
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almost never happening
He hardly ever goes to the gym.
struggle to cover basic living expenses
Despite working two jobs, they hardly make ends meet.
feel very excited or impatient for something to happen
I can hardly wait for the concert tomorrow!
place with very few people around
In the park, there was hardly a soul.
expresses that something is obvious or well-known
I hardly need to say that honesty is important.
brief respite from noise or activity
The office is so busy, there's hardly a moment's peace.
something very easy to understand or do
Fixing this is hardly rocket science.
express doubt or disagreement with a statement
He said it would rain, but I hardly think so.
question if someone is working hard or not
Are you here to work hard or hardly work?
humorous way to ask if someone is working hard or not
He walked by my desk and said, 'working hard or hardly working?'
almost no or very few
There was hardly a person at the event.
very few or almost none
There are hardly any cookies left in the jar.
almost none of a specific group
Hardly any of them showed up to the meeting.
very few from a mentioned set
Hardly any of those students passed the final exam.
almost none of the people in a group
Hardly any of us knew the answer to the question.
almost none of the people addressed
Hardly any of you showed up to the meeting.
not used often or frequently
The old typewriter is hardly used anymore.
not unexpected given the circumstances
It's hardly surprising that he won the award.
not a suitable moment for something
This is hardly the time to argue about money.
express that something is expected and not surprising
It's hardly surprising that she won the race.
almost none of a specific group
The proposals were reviewed, hardly any of which were approved by the committee.
very unlikely to happen or be true
It is hardly likely that he will come.
situation where something is very unlikely or not true
That is hardly the case in most situations.
not important enough to talk about or notice
The mistake was hardly worth a mention.
Origin of hardly
Old English, heardlice (firmly)
Terms with hardly included in their meaning
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negation
not at all or hardly
tight budget
get by with hardly any funds or supplies
hardly
with difficulty or inconvenience
hardly
in a way that is hard or crisp
hardly noticeable
in a manner not easily perceptible
degree
barely or hardly done
Examples of hardly in a sentence
The old car hardly runs anymore. Hardly had the meeting begun when the fire alarm rang. She had hardly sat down before the phone buzzed.
View all translations of hardly
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:à peine, tout juste, ...
- German:kaum, gerade erst, ...
- Italian:quasi non, non appena, ...
- Spanish:casi no, en cuanto, ...
- Portuguese:dificilmente, quase não, ...
- Chinese:几乎不, 刚, ...
- Japanese:ほとんど, ～するとすぐに, ...
- Arabic:بِالكاد, لَمّا, ...
- Hebrew:בְּקוֹשִׁי, רַק עַתָּה, ...
- Russian:едва, только что, ...
- Ukrainian:ледве, щойно, ...
- Hindi:मुश्किल से, अभी-अभी, ...
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