hardly
3 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of HARDLY
1
a
:
barely, scarcely
— used to say that something was almost not possible or almost did not happen
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She could hardly bear to look at him.
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I could hardly believe my eyes. [=it was difficult to believe what I was seeing]
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I can hardly believe it!
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She was hardly able to control her excitement.
b
:
almost not at all
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We hardly knew them.
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It hardly matters what I think.
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The changes in service have hardly been noticed.
c
:
almost not
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There are hardly any new features in this software.
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Hardly anyone showed up for the meeting.
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Hardly a day goes by when I don't think about you.
d
— used to say that something reached a specified condition or happened only a short time before
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I had hardly [=barely] arrived when the telephone rang.
2
:
certainly not
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The news is hardly surprising. = The news is hardly a surprise. [=the news is not surprising at all]
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This is hardly a new idea for a movie.
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“Is this a new idea for a movie?” “Hardly! I've seen dozens of movies just like it.”
