[ US /ˈhɑɹdɫi/ ]
[ UK /hˈɑːdli/ ]
ADVERB
  1. slowly and with difficulty
    prejudices die hard
    he was so dizzy he could hardly stand up straight
  2. almost not
    they scarcely ever used the emergency generator
    he hardly ever goes fishing
    we were so far back in the theater, we could barely read the subtitles
    she barely seemed to notice him
    he was scarce sixteen years old
    I can hardly hear what she is saying
  3. only a very short time before
    we hardly knew them
    had scarcely rung the bell when the door flew open
    would have scarce arrived before she would have found some excuse to leave
Linguix Browser extension
Fix your writing
on millions of websites
Get Started For Free Linguix pencil

How To Use hardly In A Sentence

  • One can hardly believe that this paper mill was started from scratch only a few years ago.
  • The tranquility of Birch's daytime views hardly characterized the disputative climate surrounding the building, then and later.
  • -- _More beautiful, most beautiful_, etc. can hardly be called degree forms of the adjective. Higher Lessons in English A work on english grammar and composition
  • He could hardly be said to have "devised a feasible method for regular use. FINGERPRINTS: Murder and the Race to Uncover the Science of Identity
  • In principle, file-sharing is hardly different from tape-to-tape recordings that we all made when we were kids.
  • However, the measure intended to foster democracy will result in all three party leaders imposing a three-line whip on their respective MPs – a move hardly likely to ease the public's mistrust of Parliament. European Union: The referendum is an absurd sideshow | Observer editorial
  • They have been tearing away at the rubble for a week now, and more than 10,000 tonnes has been removed, But it has hardly made a dent in the mountain.
  • The ink is hardly dry on young Hay's new three-year contract.
  • First he was writing, then he was hiking, then he went to Argentina to clear his head and drive along the coast (a two mile narrow strip overlooking the intercoastal waterway, hardly scenic). Sanford visiting family in Sullivan's Island
  • His outlook could hardly have been helped by the cancelling of a perfectly good goal just after the quarter-hour, the linesman flagging for offside.
View all
This website uses cookies to make Linguix work for you. By using this site, you agree to our cookie policy