HARDLY: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for HARDLY?

Need another word that means the same as “hardly”? Find 15 synonyms and 30 related words for “hardly” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Hardly” are: barely, scarce, scarcely, hard, just, only just, not much, faintly, narrowly, slightly, rarely, little, only with difficulty, only with effort, almost not

Hardly as an Adverb

Definitions of "Hardly" as an adverb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “hardly” as an adverb can have the following definitions:

• Harshly.
• Scarcely (used to qualify a statement by saying that it is true to an insignificant degree.
• Only a very short time before.
• Almost not.
• No or not (suggesting surprise at or disagreement with a statement.
• Slowly and with difficulty.
• Only with great difficulty.

Synonyms of "Hardly" as an adverb (15 Words)

almost not	Slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but.
barely	Only a very short time before. It was barely 5 a m.
faintly	To a faint degree or weakly perceived. She smiled faintly.
hard	Causing great damage or hardship. It was raining hard.
just	Only a very short time before. That s just what I need.
little	Only to a small extent; not much or often (used for emphasis. He had slept little these past weeks.
narrowly	Only just; by only a small margin. Narrowly defined tasks.
not much	To a great degree or extent.
only just	Without any others being included or involved.
only with difficulty	And nothing more.
only with effort	Never except when.
rarely	To an unusual degree; exceptionally. We rarely met.
scarce	Scarcely. A babe scarce two years old.
scarcely	Only just; almost not. She had scarcely dismounted before the door swung open.
slightly	To a small degree or extent. The children argued because one slice of cake was slightly larger than the other.

Usage Examples of "Hardly" as an adverb

• We hardly knew them.
• I nodded, hardly able to breath.
• I can hardly hear what she is saying.
• I hardly think so.
• He was so dizzy he could hardly stand up straight.
• He hardly ever goes fishing.
• A thing hardly bigger than a credit card.
• The rule worked hardly.
• She could hardly sit up.
• The little house in which he lived was hardly bigger than a hut.
• The party had hardly started when the police arrived.
• We hardly know each other.

Associations of "Hardly" (30 Words)

anymore	At the present or from now on; usually used with a negative. Alice doesn t live here anymore.
barely	In a sparse or scanty way. They had barely sat down before forty policemen swarmed in.
coincidentally	Happening at the same time. The three are coincidentally reunited when captured by the enemy.
curio	Something unusual — perhaps worthy of collecting. They had such fun over the wonderful box of curios that Jack had sent from India.
deficient	Insufficient or inadequate. This diet is deficient in vitamin B.
frequently	Regularly or habitually; often. They go abroad frequently.
infrequently	Not often; rarely. A storage area for infrequently used items.
meagerly	Deficient in amount or quality or extent. These voices are meagerly represented at the conference.
no	Not in any degree or manner not at all. His no was loud and clear.
occasional	Employed for a particular occasion or on an irregular basis. Took an occasional glass of wine.
occasionally	Now and then or here and there. Very occasionally the condition can result in death.
oddity	A strange attitude or habit. She was regarded as a bit of an oddity.
often	In many cases or instances. We often met over a cup of coffee.
rare	Not widely distributed. A rare skill.
rarely	Not often. The rarely fine Sheraton bookcase.
rareness	Noteworthy scarcity.
rarity	A rare thing, especially one having particular value. The rarity of the condition.
scant	Barely amounting to a specified number or quantity. The press regularly scants a host of issues relating to safety and health.
scanty	(of clothing) revealing the body. Her dress was scanty and revealing.
scarce	Scarcely. A babe scarce two years old.
scarcely	Only a very short time before. Her voice is so low I can scarcely hear what she is saying.
seldom	Not often. An old seldom used church.
sometimes	Occasionally, rather than all of the time. Sometimes I want to do things on my own.
sparse	Thinly dispersed or scattered. Information on earnings is sparse.
sparsely	In a sparse manner. A sparsely populated region.
special	For a special service or occasion. Television s election night specials.
sporadically	Occasionally or at irregular intervals. He only works sporadically.
typically	With the distinctive qualities of a particular type of person or thing. Typically she showed no alarm.
uncommonly	Exceptionally; very. He is an uncommonly good talker.
unusual	Being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird. The government has taken the unusual step of calling home its ambassador.