hardly
HAHD-lee
Hardly (adv) means Barely; only just; almost not at all. Example: “I could hardly hear him over the noise.”
adv
1
Barely; only just; almost not at all.
"I could hardly hear him over the noise."
"She had hardly started when the phone rang."
"There is hardly any milk left, so we should buy more."
2
Used to say something is certainly not the case; surely not.
"That's hardly a fair comparison."
"He's hardly the right person to give advice on honesty."
"It's hardly surprising that you feel tired after working all night."
3
With great difficulty.
"They hardly managed to finish the climb before dark."
"He could hardly breathe as he dragged the heavy case up the stairs."
"The old engine hardly turned over on the freezing morning."
How to use hardly
Learner’s notesIn plain English"Barely" or "almost not" — a soft way of saying something is nearly not true.
Common mistake
Avoid double negatives like "can't hardly" — "hardly" already carries a negative meaning, so "I can hardly wait" is correct, not "I can't hardly wait."
Easily confused with
Common pairings
hardly ever
hardly any
hardly surprising
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Word forms
- Comparative
- hardlier, more hardly
- Superlative
- hardliest, most hardly
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
I could _____ hear him over the noise.
Etymology
From Old English heardlīċe, built from hard + -ly; it originally meant "boldly" or "without ease" before narrowing to today's sense of "barely."
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for hardly
See all rhymes for hardly →Frequently asked questions
What does “hardly” mean?
The word “hardly” means barely; only just; almost not at all. In plain terms, "Barely" or "almost not" — a soft way of saying something is nearly not true.
How do you pronounce “hardly”?
“Hardly” is pronounced HAHD-lee (/ˈhɑɹdli/ in IPA).
How do you use “hardly” in a sentence?
Here is “hardly” used in a sentence: “I could hardly hear him over the noise.”
What part of speech is “hardly”?
“Hardly” is an adverb.
Where does the word “hardly” come from?
The word “hardly” comes from Old English. From Old English heardlīċe, built from hard + -ly; it originally meant "boldly" or "without ease" before narrowing to today's sense of "barely.".
Is “hardly” a common word?
“Hardly” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “hardly” have?
“Hardly” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: barely; only just; almost not at all.
What is the difference between 'hardly' and 'hard'?
Despite sharing a root, they mean very different things. "Hard" describes effort or difficulty, as in "she worked hard." "Hardly" means barely or almost not at all, as in "she hardly worked." Notice that "hardly" is close to the opposite of working hard, which is exactly why the two are so easily confused.
Does 'hardly' mean the same as 'not'?
Not quite. "Hardly" means almost not at all, leaving a tiny margin, whereas "not" is a flat negative. "I hardly slept" means you slept very little, not that you had no sleep whatsoever. It does carry a strong negative sense, though, and behaves as a negative word within a sentence.
What is an example of 'hardly' in a sentence?
You might say "I could hardly believe my eyes," meaning you almost could not believe them, or "there was hardly any milk left," meaning very little remained. It often pairs with "any," "ever," or "at all," as in "he hardly ever calls," to stress how small or rare something is.
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